She Will Be Loved
by xoxEllexox
Summary: Sequel to 'Chained To You'. Kate's flat lining, Ari's trying to hold it together, Gibbs is pissed. What will happen in the aftermath of Kate's poisoning? Will Kate and Ari pull through as their lives get more complicated? Kate/Ari.
1. I Can't Let You Go

**_Hello there Kari fans!_**

**_The sequal you've all been waiting for!!_**

**_Ok, for those who don't know, this is the sequal to my Kate/Ari fic 'Chained To You', if you haven't read it, you'll get confused in this fic. lol. So go read it!_**

**_Hope you all enjoy this as much as Chained To You!_**

**_xoxElle_**

* * *

I'm fake at the seams  
Lost in my dreams  
And I want you to know  
That I can't let you go  
And you're never coming home again

* * *

The doctors had quickly rushed Ari Haswari out of his wife's hospital room. As he was pushed out of the room he ran straight into a panic stricken Abby.

"What's happening?" She asked.

Ari shook his head and looked back at the room where he saw Kate's body being shocked "I do not know. She flat lined" He said. Abby's eyes widened and she dropped the Caf Pow! That she was holding.

"Is she okay?"

Her question fell on deaf ears as Ari quickly made his way down the hall and out of the hospital into the dark night. He braced himself against the wall, his head suddenly coming into contact with it. He turned around in a daze and came face to face with a very angry Jethro Gibbs.

"What did you do to her?" Gibbs yelled, putting a hand to Ari's throat and pushing him against the wall. Ari's hand came up and punched Gibbs in the face with little effort and he pushed himself off the wall.

"This is not the place nor the time for something like this Agent Gibbs" Ari said, brushing himself off and walking back into the hospital.

When he returned to Kate's room, only a nurse was in there with Kate. He walked in quickly and heard the steady heart beat from the monitor.

"Is she alright?" Ari asked the nurse as he sat next to Kate and took her hand.

"Are you her husband?" The brunette nurse asked him, and when Ari nodded she continued "The poison reached her heart and stopped it, but we were able to revive her. We're detoxing the poison from her body, so we're hoping that will work" She said.

Ari nodded his thanks before looking at Kate, noticing that her face was even more pale then it was when he first arrived. He stroked the back of her hand with his thumb while his other hand went to her forehead, feeling that she wasn't sweating or shaking anymore.

He sat by her side for an hour holding her hand before he felt her stir.

"What happened?" She whispered, her eyes barely opening.

"You flat lined" He said, putting a hand on her cheek. She turned her head into his palm and closed her eyes.

"I feel better" She whispered "I thought the poison was going to kill me"

"They are detoxing the poison from your body" He said "They are hoping it will work"

She nodded and attempted to sit up. Ari quickly stood and helped her, pressing a button to adjust the bed and put pillows behind her.

When she rested back Ari leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss to the corner of her mouth.

"You should not scare me like that" He said, pressing his forehead against hers for a moment before sitting down again.

She smirked tiredly "Is the big bad Mossad agent scared?"

Ari gave her a slight glare before kissing her fingers. Kate fell back asleep quickly and Ari put his head on their entwined hands, feeling Kate's wedding ring against his hand.

He put his head on her chest, listening to her heart beat as he closed his eyes.

* * *

When Kate woke up she was alone, and she saw the sunlight shining through the window at the side of the room. She felt horrible. Her head was pounding, she still felt cold and her body felt heavy and numb.

She tried to sit up again, but after five minutes she put her head back on the pillow, turning her head and pressing the button next to her hand. A minute later a nurse came in.

"What's wrong?" The older nurse asked kindly. Kate squinted at her hospital ID and saw her name was Nurse Carol.

"I can't sit up" Kate said, her voice hoarse from sleep. The nurse nodded and pressed a button and the bed moved up so she could sit comfortably.

"Thank you" Kate smiled "How am I going?" She asked.

The nurse looked up at her vitals before looking back at her "Your blood pressure is still high and your heart is beating slightly faster than normal. We're taking it one step at a time"

Kate nodded slightly, not having the energy to move very much "Are my friends outside?"

Nurse Carol nodded "Would you like me to send them in?"

Kate smiled slightly "Yes please"

A minute later Abby quickly rushed into the room as McGee stood awkwardly in the doorway. Abby went over and grabbed Kate's hand.

"I'm so glad you're okay!" Abby said with a grin.

"Not totally okay Abs" Kate said softly.

"Ari came out before and he said you were flatlining and They didn't tell us you were alright until just then! And Gibbs is beyond pissed with you and Ari's sister's here and-"

"They know about Ari?" Kate whispered to her, her eyes quickly snapping over to McGee, who nodded.

He walked over and squeezed her arm gently "You're really a superhero Kate" He said quietly to her "Not many people survive what just happened to you"

Kate smiled at him "Thanks Tim" She said, and suddenly began to start coughing. She moved her hand away from her mouth and saw a small amount of blood on it.

"Do you want me to get your doctor?" Abby asked with wide eyes when she saw the blood.

Kate shook her head "No, I'm fine" She said "Just really tired"

Abby nodded "We'll visit later" She said taking McGee's hand and walking to the door with him. "Bye Kate"

"Bye" She said back before closing her eyes in exhaustion and falling into a deep sleep.

* * *

Ari returned to her room not much time after that, sensing something was wrong before he even got to the hallway leading to her room. When he got to her door, he saw at least 5 doctors and nurses in the room, all doing various things.

"What has happened?" Ari asked to the nurse near the door that was holding Kate's chart.

"Sir, you're wife's condition has deteriorated, we're trying to get her stats back up"

Ari swallowed and nodded, watching as the doctors injected needles into Kate's IV line and the machines around them beep furiously.

Suddenly the long beep of the heart monitor rang into Ari's ears and one of the doctors picked up the paddles.

"Charging to 200" He said.

"Get the husband out of here" One of the female doctors said to the nurse standing next to him. Ari just walked out of the room and ran a hand over his face as he heard:

"Clear!"

* * *

"Sir?" A nurse said walking up to Ari ten minutes later, who was standing at the ned of the hallway from Kate's room. "My name is Nurse Carol, I'm here to tell you that we managed to revive Kate, but we believe that she has slipped into a coma"

Ari took a deep breath, being a doctor himself he knew it was very bad "What are the chances of her waking up"

"At the moment sir, it's 50 50"

* * *

**_Review!_**

**_xoxElle_**


	2. It's Doing Nothing But Tire Us Out

**_Hey all!_**

**_I'm glad you're all loving this! _**

**_What I have planned though...you won't be loving me. lol._**

**_Review!_**

**_xoxElle_**

* * *

Are you beginning to get get my point  
That all this fighting with aching joints  
It's doing nothing but tire us out

* * *

Two days later Ari hasn't moved from his spot next to Kate, his hand always holding hers as he willed her to wake up.

A soft knock on the door made Ari look up, seeing Ziva walk into the room and stand on the other side of Kate.

"How is she?" Ziva asked him.

"No change" Ari said.

Ziva sighed and looked at Ari "Papa is asking where you are, and why you left half way through the mission"

"Did you explain what happened?" He asked her.

"He is not pleased, but he says to stay with her as long as you want"

Ari nodded and looked back at Kate, Ziva walking out of the room and straight into Tony.

"How's Kate?" He asked her.

"Ari says there is no change" She said walking with him and sitting down on one of the set of chairs outside the room.

Tony sat and ran his hands through his hair "I still can't believe it. Ari Haswari?" He said.

Ziva chuckled slightly "I have known for quite some time"

Tony took a deep breath and looked at her "You've been here for two days straight, do you want to come back to my place and relax? I'll cook dinner"

Ziva smiled at him and nodded "I would like that"

* * *

Ari was woken later that night by a hand gently shaking his shoulder, his eyes opening to see Kate's eyes staring back at him.

"Caitlin" He said sitting up and looking at her, his hand brushing some stray hair away from her face "You are finally awake"

"How long was I out?" She asked, her voice hoarse from the lack of talking.

"Two days" Ari said standing and leaning over to kiss her "Try not to do this again" He said with a slight smirk as he pulled away "I will go get your doctor"

Kate smiled slightly and nodded, watching as Ari quickly stepped out of the room before returning with one of her doctors.

"It's good to see you're finally awake Kate" Dr. Cline said with a smile, picking up her chart and checking her stats "It seems the detox has worked, although I would like to keep you in from a while longer because you are still very weak and just in case there are any complications" He said.

Kate just nodded and smiled at Ari "I'm okay" She said.

He ran a hand through her hair "Yes, you are"

Dr. Cline put her chart under his arm and smiled at the two "I'll come check on you in the morning" He said before walking out of the room.

Kate shifted slightly in the bed before resting her head back with a deep breath "Lay here with me" She said quietly.

Ari kicked off his shoes and got under the hospital bed sheet covers and gathered her in his arms, burying his face in her hair and took a deep breath.

"What's wrong?" She whispered.

"I almost lost you" He murmured.

She brought an IV and wired covered hand up to his cheek, stroking his face lightly and feeling the stubble under her palm. She didn't let the tear that was threatening to spill from her eye fall at the heartbroken voice she had never heard come from Ari.

"I love you" She whispered.

He closed his eyes "I love you too Caitlin"

* * *

Tony and Ziva were sitting on his couch, a beer in both their hands as they watched a movie, their empty dinner plates sitting on the coffee table in front of them.

Tony had his arm around her shoulders as her head rested on his shoulder, her hand lightly tracing shapes on his chest.

"It has been far too long since I have relaxed like this" Ziva said putting her bottle down and looking up at Tony.

"Been a long time since I spent some time like this with a beautiful woman" He said, bringing a hand up to lightly trace her cheek and jaw line.

Ziva sat up slightly more and looked at him, running her hand up to rest behind his neck. Tony leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers softly, pulling her closer to him as her deepened the kiss.

They pulled apart reluctantly, Ziva reaching over to pick up her beer and take a sip. Tony took the bottle from her hands and put it down, grabbing her around the waist and pushing her down into the couch, fusing his lips to hers as she ran her hands through his hair.

* * *

Abby rested her head on McGee's chest as they laid in his bed together. She was tracing small circles over his heart with her finger and looked up at him.

"Do you think Kate'll be okay?" She asked him.

McGee kissed her forehead, her hair out of its pigtails and only wearing his MIT shirt, his hands traveling up and down her back.

"She's strong Abs" He murmured "She'll make it"

She wrapped her arms around his stomach and kissed his chest "I love you Tim"

He smiled slightly "Love you too Abs"

* * *

The next morning Ziva woke up surrounded by Tony's strong arms in his bed. She turned to face him and found him wide awake and looking at her.

"I'm not too good at this" He laughed nervously "But I don't want this to be a one-time thing"

She looked at him confused "But we have slept together before. It is not a one-time thing"

Tony rolled his eyes and pulled her on top of him, running his hands up and down her bare back.

"I meant" He started "That I really like being with you, and I want to be with you more"

"A relationship, yes?"

Tony laughed slightly "I'm not too good at that, but I want to give it a try with you" He said, tangling his hand in her hair and pulling her head down to kiss him.

"I think that is a good idea" She murmured against his lips.

* * *

That day Kate had sent Ari home to take a shower and get some good sleep. Kate on the other hand was now wide awake, but her body felt heavy and she felt weak.

She was flipping through a magazine when she heard someone walk in the room. She closed her magazine and looked up, seeing Gibbs standing in front of her bed and glaring at her.

She sighed and put her head back against the pillow and looked at him. "What Gibbs?"

"How long have you been screwing the terrorist?" He asked.

She took a breath and shook her head "He's not a terrorist, you and I both know that" She said.

Gibbs scoffed "He's playing you Kate"

Kate took a deep breath and pushed herself up, struggling to get out of the bed, grabbing her IV drip and wheeling it next to her as she supported herself on the side of the bed. Gibbs watched her with slight worry in his eyes and she walked up to him.

"Listen to me Gibbs" She said, trying to get her breathing under control "I keep my professional and my personal life separate. I met Ari before anything between him and NCIS ever happened. He isn't playing me"

"Kate you should lie back down" Gibbs said trying to grab her arm, which she snapped away from him.

"Accept it Gibbs" Kate said angrily "He's my husband. If you can't accept that, then fire me" She said before she closed her eyes and swayed on the spot.

Ari walked into the room just as Kate collapsed to the ground. He pushed past Gibbs and picked Kate up into his arms and put her back on the bed before turning to a slightly shocked Gibbs.

"Agent Gibbs, get Caitlin's doctor" He said, Gibbs quickly walking out of the room.

"Caitlin, why were you out of bed?" He asked as her eyes opened slightly.

"Gibbs pisses me off" She murmured with a slight smirk. He brushed some hair away from her face and chuckled slightly.

"Kate, what happened?" Dr. Cline asked as he walked into the room with Gibbs behind him.

"I got up and got a bit dizzy" She said.

"This is why I said to stay in bed, you're too weak to get up just yet. The poison has taken alot out of you. If you get out of the bed again I'll have to restrain you to the bed"

Ari and Kate shared a smirk quickly before looking back at the doctor, both not seeing Gibbs leave the room "I'll stay in bed" Kate said.

Dr. Cline wrote something on her chart and nodded, walking out of the room and leaving Kate and Ari alone.

"It's okay" Kate said looking at Ari and running her thumb over his knuckles.

He brought their hands up to his lips and kissed her fingers "I know Caitlin"

* * *

**_But is it all okay? Lol._**

**_Review!_**

**_xoxElle_**


	3. Ordinary Girl

**_Hey all!_**

**_Sorry for the small wait!_**

**_Review!_**

**_xoxElle_**

* * *

Ordinary girl  
It seems this ordinary world  
Has taken hold.

* * *

Three weeks later Kate was released from Hospital on strict orders to stay in bed for a few weeks, Dr. Cline was still worried that the poison could still be in her body and if she strained herself she could end up back in hospital.

Ari helped Kate into the apartment with his hand on the small of her back as they walked through the front door.

"I don't need help Ari" She said, walking over to stand next to the couch. Ari put the small suitcase next to the door and walked over to her. "I still smell like the hospital" She stated.

Ari placed his hands on her hips and leaned down to whisper in her ear "We should get you clean then"

She ran her hands from his shoulders to around his neck "Dr. Cline said no sex" She murmured against his neck.

He pulled back and turned her around, his hands staying on her waist "He did not say I could not shower with you"

She threw him a smirk over her shoulder "What does that lead to?"

"You give a fair point Caitlin" He said as he walked into their room, Kate lifting her shirt off her body as they made their way to the bathroom.

A few minutes later Kate was resting against Ari as he washed her hair, her eyes were closed as he washed away the smell of hospital that both of them hated.

"Are you still awake?" He asked her with a smirk as he rinsed the water out of her hair.

"Hmm" She murmured with a small smile.

"You are still very pale" He said quietly as he reached around her to get the soap, rinsing his own hair off under the spray as he did "And the dark circles under your eyes are not very flattering" He grinned.

She opened her eyes and rolled them "Tends to happen when you've been poisoned" She said. He gave her a look and she pressed a kiss to his shoulder. "I think I'll take a few months off from work" She said looking up at him and brushing some of her wet out of her face "Gibbs is pissed off at me anyway, it's a good time to have a vacation"

Ari nodded as he ran the soap over her back, her head falling forward and pressing her forehead against his shoulder "That sounds like a very good idea" He said.

"I'll call work tomorrow, Abby told me that NCIS has a new Director" She said lifting her head and letting out a large yawn, a blush spreading across her cheeks as she covered her mouth.

Ari turned off the shower and soon enough both were lying in their large bed, Kate in Ari's shirt as he wore his boxers, his arms wrapped around her so they were chest to chest, their legs entwined under the covers.

"It feels good to be in an actual bed" Kate murmured. Ari kissed her forehead and tightened his arms slightly.

Kate suddenly started to violently cough, she sat up and Ari sat up with her, rubbing her back as her body shook with the force.

When she finally stopped she fell back against Ari's chest and he lowered them gently to lay on their sides.

"Are you alright?" He asked her quietly as he ran his fingers down her jaw.

She nodded tiredly "I'm fine" She murmured before her breathing evened out and she fell into a deep sleep.

Ari stayed awake for most of the night just watching Kate sleep, softly running his finger across the dark circles under her eyes.

* * *

"Tony" Ziva said walking around the couch in Tony's apartment before sitting next to him later the next day, only dressed in a silk bathrobe that reached halfway down her thighs "I have just received a call from Director Shepard. I will be temporarily on your team until Kate gets back from vacation"

Tony pulled her so she was sitting across his lap "That's a bad idea" He murmured into her ear.

She turned to look at him with a confused expression on her face "Why is it a bad idea?" She asked.

Tony grinned "Gibbs won't be happy when we leave half way through the day so I can do this to you" He said leaning down and kissing her neck and running his hands under her robe.

Ziva stood up with a smirk, taking Tony's hand and pulled him towards the bedroom.

* * *

The next day Kate had an appointment at the hospital to see if there was any more damage in her body from the poison. Ari didn't go with her though, as he had to be at the Israeli Embassy for a meeting with one of the Mossad agents.

Kate sat in front of Dr. Cline in his office at the hospital as he looked though her chart and notes from the examination she had minutes ago.

"Alright Kate, a few things seem to be off, your blood pressure is slightly high, but that's fine. But there is one piece of bad news that I have to give you" He said with a frown and walking over to sit next to her. "The tests you had showed that the poison has affected your ovaries, so you won't be able to have children"

Kate's face went blank and she took a deep breath, looking down at her lap where her hands were now in fists.

She nodded "Alright" She said quietly.

Dr. Cline put a hand on her knee and squeezed slightly "I'm sorry Kate"

She shook her head and looked at him "No, it's fine" She said standing up "Is that everything?" She asked.

"Yes. I'll see you next week" He said standing up and walking to the door to open it for her.

"Thank you Doctor" She said walking out of the room.

When Kate got home she walked into her bedroom and slipped under the sheets of her bed, grabbing her pillow and rubbing her face into it, willing herself not to cry. She let out a muffled sob and heard the front door open quietly and Ari walk into the bedroom.

"Caitlin?" He asked walking over and sitting next to her on the bed, putting his hand on her blanket covered arm "What has happened?" He asked.

She rubbed her face against the pillow again "I can't have kids" She whispered "The poison affected my ovaries"

Ari pulled her up into his arms and kissed her forehead "I am sorry Caitlin" He murmured.

She put her hands on his chest and pushed him away "Please leave me alone" She said lying down and facing away from him. He nodded and leaned down to press a kiss to the back of her head before standing and walking out of the room.

Kate listened as the front door shut and heard his bike start from outside below her window. She curled up under the blankets more, her chest hurting and her head pounding from standing up for too long.

She reached behind her and found her phone, pressing 5 on her speed dial and waiting for an answer.

_"Hello, Todd Residence" _

"Hey Dad" Kate whispered.

_"Angel? What's wrong?" _Her father, Lucas, asked.

Kate sniffed "Can I come stay with you and Mum for a while?"

"_Sure Katie" _Lucas said "_But tell me what's wrong"_

"I'll call you later Dad" She whispered before hanging up and dropping her phone next to her, closing her eyes, letting sobs escape her as everything that had happened in the past month hit her.

* * *

**_Oh dear, seems Kate has had enough._**

**_What will this do to their relationship?_**

**_Review!_**

**_xoxElle_**


	4. Just Know I'm Here

**_Hey All!!_**

**_Sorry for the long wait!! But, finally. I've got something to post! I hope you like it!_**

**_xoxElle_**

* * *

You say you're leaving  
As you look away  
I know there's really nothing left to say  
Just know I'm here  
Whenever you need me  
I'll wait for you.

* * *

When Ari returned later that night he walked into the bedroom expecting to find Kate still in the bed, but instead found an open suitcase sitting on the floor close to their closet.

He put his helmet down quietly on the chair near the door and walked into the en suite, where he saw light coming out from under the door.

"Caitlin?" Ari said as he pushed open the door and found Kate lying in the bathtub.

She looked up at him with a frown and took a deep breath "I'm going to go visit my parents for a while" She said quietly. Ari sat on the edge of the tub and nodded, putting his elbows on his knees and looked at her.

"Alright" He said.

Kate looked away from him for a moment and played with the bubbles that were floating on top of the water with her hand. She looked back at him and shifted forward slightly.

"Do you want to come in?" She asked. Ari leaned forward slightly and ran his hand over her wet hair before kissing the side of her mouth. He took off his clothes and slipped into the bath behind her, pulling her back so her back was resting against his chest and her head rested against his shoulder.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" He asked quietly into her ear as he scooped water up and ran it down her arms.

Kate took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting silence fill the room as Ari waited patiently and continued to run his hands soothingly up and down her arms.

"The poison damaged my ovaries" She murmured, a tear slipping down her cheek, mixing with the water already there.

Ari kissed the side of her head and put his arms around her and nodded "I am sorry Caitlin" He whispered.

They stayed there in the bath until the water became cold, Ari getting out and helping Kate out before the two went into the bedroom and laid down in the bed. He held her to his chest as she silently cried, he whispered in Hebrew into her ear until she calmed and fell asleep.

* * *

"Would you like me to accompany you to visit your parents?" Ari asked early the next morning as the two laid in silence. Kate thought for a moment, her hand resting on the side of Ari's chest that her head wasn't resting on comfortably.

"I don't know" She said quietly. He kissed the side of her head and felt her take a shuddering breath. He felt a tear hit his chest, so he tightened his arms around and held her close.

"I really wanted a baby" Kate whispered against his neck.

Ari ran a hand down her bare back "I know Caitlin" He murmured against the top of her head before pressing a soft kiss there.

"I feel like crap" Kate said after a long silence. Ari chuckled softly.

"You are still recovering Caitlin" He said as she put her head on her hand to look at him "You will feel like this for a while"

She looked at him for a moment, his hand coming up to run his thumb against the soft, still pale skin of her cheekbone and looking at the dark circles still under her eyes. She leaned to him and kissed his cheek and resting her head next to his on his pillow.

"I love you" She whispered, wrapping her arms around his muscular chest and burying her face into his neck.

He ran a hand down her back and kissed her temple "I love you too"

* * *

Ziva was woken that Sunday morning by Tony pressing small, soft kisses to her bare shoulder. She smiled and rolled over in the bed, finding Tony looking down at her with a smile.

"Morning" He grinned at her. She sat up slightly, holding Tony's comforter to her chest and kissing him.

"Good morning Tony" She said lying back down against the pillows.

Tony reached behind him and brought a mug over and rested it on the bedside table next to her "Your tea, madam" He said grinning before lying down next to her.

"Thank you" Ziva smiled as she sat up and picked the cup up. Tony smiled at her as she took a sip before putting the cup back down and rolling so she was straddling Tony's stomach.

She leaned down and kissed him softly, his hands running up her back to tangle in her dark brown hair, when they parted, she crossed her arms, resting her chin on them as she laid on top of him, his hands running up and down her back.

"What do you want to do today?" He asked her.

"I was going to go visit Kate" She said "You are welcome to join me"

Tony was quiet for a moment, his hands continuing to run up and down her bare back "How long have you known Kate anyway?"

Ziva cocked her head to the side "I have known her since she and Ari got married" She said "Around nine months"

"Alright I'll come" He said "But I'm not talking to _him_"

* * *

Later that day as Ari sat on the black couch reading a newspaper, he heard someone knock on the front door and stood up to answer it. When he opened the door he found Ziva standing in front of him with Tony standing behind her.

"Shalom Ari" Ziva said stepping up and kissing his cheek.

"Shalom Ziva" He said, letting she and Tony walk in "What are you doing here?" He asked, watching carefully as Tony looked around suspiciously, then glared at him.

"We are here to see how Kate is" She said, pinching Tony's arm when he noticed what he was doing.

Ari nodded slightly "She is asleep" He said, looking between Ziva and Tony with a raised eyebrow "I will go see if she is awake"

He walked down the small hallway and quietly walked into the bedroom, seeing Kate rolling in the bed restlessly. He walked over and shook her awake.

"How are you feeling?" He asked as Kate opened her eyes and sat up.

"Tired" She said, her voice croaky like it had been since she was in hospital "Sore" She said putting a hand to her head.

Ari nodded and ran his fingers down her arm "Ziva and Tony are here" He said "Would you like to come see them, or would you like some more sleep?" He asked.

Kate shook her head and pushed herself out of the bed, bending down to pick up black shirt of Ari's and painfully put it on. She sighed, putting a hand on the side table to brace herself.

"My muscles hurt" She said quietly.

Ari stood up from where he was sitting on the edge of the bed and went over to the chest of draws, opening one of the draws and pulling out some of Kate's grey tracksuit pants. He turned around and bent down in front of Kate, letting her put her hands on his shoulders as he helped put the pants on her. She smiled at him softly as he stood up and put his hand around the back of her neck and leaned down to kiss her forehead.

"Shall we go?" He asked quietly. Kate nodded and walked past Ari and out the door. When she walked into the living room she saw Tony lifting up a photo frame.

"DiNozzo!" She said as loud as she could, which wasn't very loud, but still made Tony jump.

"Hey Kate!" He grinned "See, you said I'd never see the inside of your apartment, and here I am! It's very...you"

"That's the point DiNozzo" She said walking around the couch to Ziva and sitting down next to her.

"How are you feeling?" Ziva asked her as Tony sat down in the arm chair next to Kate. Ari stood behind the couch behind Kate, a hand resting on her shoulder as she explained how she still had to go into the hospital every second day and that it would be a while until she got her strength back.

"You are looking much better then you did in the hospital" Ziva said. Kate frowned slightly and put her cheek on her hand before taking a deep breath.

"I'm sorry, I'm really tired, I think I'll go back to bed" She said quietly as she stood up, making her way down the hallway and disappearing through the bedroom door.

Ari sat down in Kate's spot on the couch and looked at Ziva as she asked in Hebrew:

"How is she _really_?"

Ari sighed "Very tired" He replied, both still talking in Hebrew "She is only awake for around an hour and a half each day"

Ziva put a hand on her brother's back and rubbed softly "She will be alright"

"I know" He said "She is leaving to visit her parents in two days"

"I don't speak Hebrew" Tony commented from the armchair, but he was ignored.

"Are you going with her?" Ziva asked. He shook his head.

"I am going back to Israel for a while, she needs some time with her parents" He said.

Ziva looked at him worriedly before standing and motioning for Tony to stand up too. Ziva said her goodbye before taking Tony's arm and walking with him out of the apartment.

"What were you guys talking about?" He asked as they walked down the hallway.

"About Kate. She is visiting her parents this week" She said.

Tony nodded as they turned the corner "She looked like crap" He said. Ziva punched him in the arm and shook her head.

* * *

When Ari walked into the bedroom he found Kate putting her clothes into her suitcase, moving as fast as she could without hurting herself.

"Caitlin?" He said quietly, stepping in front of her so she was looking up at him. The circles were still dark under her eyes and her skin was still pale, her hair was messy and she looked so tired. He sighed and put a hand on her cheek "What are you doing?" He asked softly.

She swallowed and looked around for a moment "I need to go" She said, her voice cracking slightly "I just- everything…I know he's dead" She said, looking back up at Ari "but I keep thinking he's going to hurt me again"

Ari wrapped his arms carefully around her and kissed the top of her head "Caitlin" He murmured in her ear "You are safe"

She took a deep breath, making her cough slightly against his chest "I know…I just need to leave" She said.

Ari nodded "I know" He said "You should get some sleep"

She stepped back from him and shook her head "It's your fault…he did this to me _because of you" _She said angrily as she stepped away from him, she took notice that he had ridden his face of emotions and swallowed "I need to get away, from _you_" She said turning around and closing her suitcase before walking you into the kitchen.

Ari took a breath and ran a hand through his hair before following her, walking into the kitchen and finding her looking out the window above the sink. He stepped up behind her and kissed the back of her head.

"I will be a phone call away if you need me Caitlin" He said quietly, reaching over and squeezing her hand "Anî ohevêt otchâ" He murmured before walking out.

She listened as Ari walking into their bedroom and get his motorcycle helmet and cell phone. After a moment she faintly head the front door close and Ari's motorcycle, which was now a new yellow one, start up and disappear down the street. She shook her head and ran a hand over her tear streaked face before walking back into the bedroom and falling asleep.

* * *

**_Review!_**

**_xoxElle_**


	5. He Was Always Ther To Help Her

**_Hey all._**

**_Sorry for the little wait, I had writers block. Again. But, I'm sick, so I had some time to write!_**

**_I'm not really that happy with this chapter, but I hope you like it and review._**

**_xoxElle_**

* * *

She had some trouble with herself  
He was always there to help her

* * *

The next morning Kate painfully rolled over and ran into a hard chest. She slowly opened her eyes, and was met by a dark pair staring back at her.

"I'm glad you came back" Kate mumbled, holding the comforter tightly around her and shivering slightly. Ari ran his fingers down the side of her face and cupped her cheek.

"You are still sick Caitlin, you are frustrated" He said, putting an arm around her waist and letting her shift into his warmth "It is a horrible thing, to be this sick"

She closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against his neck, murmuring in protest into his neck as he moved to cover them both with the comforter.

"How are you feeling this morning?" He asked quietly, looking over her head towards the closed curtains, seeing the early morning sunlight peaking through the crack.

Kate took a deep breath and was silent for a moment before answering "I feel tired and my muscles are stiff" She said, moving slightly and wincing to prove her point.

"When was the last time you ate?" He asked her, putting his head on his hand so he was looking down at her. She noticed the clothes he had left in the night before were still on him, his shoes kicked off near the door next to his helmet.

"I'm not hungry" She said, rolling onto her back so she was looking up at him.

He shook his head slightly "That is not what I asked"

She sighed slightly "A day and a half ago, maybe" She said.

Ari ran his hand over his face and let out a huff "Caitlin, you must eat something, I do not want you to be skin and bones" He said, using his hand to run down her arm, which was starting to get bony from her lack of eating.

"Come with me Caitlin" He said getting out of the bed. She looked up at him, and he noticed the dark circles under her eyes were less dark then they were the night before. "We will go out for breakfast"

"I don't think I can" She said pushing herself up onto her elbows and looking at him through half lidded eyes.

"We will take it slow. I do not want you suffering more than you already are" He said walking around to her side of the bed and helping her up, letting her wrap an arm around his stomach to help her regain her balance.

"What time is your doctor's appointment?" He asked as she went over to the chest of draws, pulling out black track suit pants and a loose dark green polo t-shirt. Ari stood and helped her lift the shirt of his she was wearing over her head, pressing a kiss to her forehead before helping her with her pants.

Five minutes later the two of them walked out the front door slowly, Ari's arm was firmly around her waist to help her walk. Kate looked up at him and took a breath.

"I am sorry about last night, I shouldn't have said it was your fault" She said. Ari shook his head and waved it off with his free hand.

"Caitlin, it is fine, I understand"

* * *

Thirty minutes later Kate and Ari walked into a small Cafe that would normally have been a ten minute walk from their apartment, and a fifteen minute walk from the NCIS building. Kate went and sat down at a table near the back next to the window while Ari went and ordered breakfast. She put her head in her hand and tried to catch her breath, her throat making rasping noises as she tried to take deep breaths.

A hand suddenly materialized on her back and began rubbing large circles across her shoulders. She looked up and smiled slightly at Ari, who was now sitting in the chair next to her.

"Are you alright?" He asked quietly. She finally caught her breath and nodded, looking up as the waitress placed two plates down in front them. She looked down at the plate she put down in front of her and saw Eggs Benedict on it. She felt Ari's arm go around her back and his finger lightly start to run through her hair.

"You can some with me to Indiana if you want" She said as she picked up her fork and moved her food around on the plate.

He shrugged "If you want me to Caitlin, but I am returning to Israel in a few days time. I will join you there afterwards" He said.

Kate nodded and picked at her breakfast some more, spreading it across her plate. She heard Ari put his fork down and take her hand in both of his on top of the table, bringing their hands up to press a kiss to her fingers.

Across the cafe, a certain Special Agent walked in for his early morning coffee, immediately spotting the two sitting in the corner and glaring, his hands clenching into fists.

Ari's right hand came up and brushed some hair back from Kate's still pale face, leaving his hand cupping her cheek as he leaned towards her and gently pressed his lips to hers. When he pulled away she smiled slightly at him.

"I'm sorry about last night" She said, putting a hand on his chest.

"I know Caitlin" He said.

Suddenly the door to the cafe slammed closed, making the two snap their heads towards the noise. Kate saw Gibbs walking away, she could tell by his posture that he was angry, so she knew he had seen them. She sighed and put her head on Ari's shoulder.

"I'm feeling tired, I think we should go home" She said quietly.

Ari shook his head against hers "Eat. And you should not worry about Special Agent Gibbs"

Kate smiled at him again "I'm not" She said, then laughed slightly "I'll be surprised if he lets me be on his team again"

Ari leaned over and kissed her temple "He would be insane to lose such a wonderful agent"

She pushed his shoulder gently, making him grin at her as she laughed lightly and began to slowly eat.

* * *

A few hours later and after Kate's bi-daily doctor's appointment, she and Ari walked down a quiet street just before lunch hour.

They stopped in the middle of the path, Ari stepped to stand in front of her and put a hand on her cheek "Are you alright?" He asked.

She put a hand over his and smiled at him "I'm fine. You should stop asking me" She said.

He looked at her for a long time before Kate stepped forward and wrapped her arms around his stomach.

"Stop looking at me like I'm going to break or disappear on you" She whispered. He squeezed her gently.

"I do not want to lose you" He murmured into her hair, so quietly she almost didn't hear it.

She kissed his shoulder "Don't be silly Ari" She said, pulling her head back slightly to look at him "If I'm gone, there will be no-one to boss you around"

He kissed her forehead before putting his arm back around her waist to continue walking down the street.

* * *

"Tony. What are you doing?" Ziva asked as she walked through his apartment wearing one of his button up shirts. He followed her into the kitchen and leaned against one of the counters.

"Nothing" He said. Ziva shook her head at him and turned around, reaching up to get a cup off the top shelf. Tony tilted his head to get a better look at her butt, which was now showing as she struggled to get to the top shelf.

Ziva smirked at him over her shoulder "Enjoying the view, yes?"

Tony nodded and stepped up behind her, putting his hands on her hips and kissing her neck "Yes, I am" He murmured, kissing down to her shoulder as the shirt she was wearing slipped down her arm.

She pushed his head away gently and laughed, finally grabbing a cup and turning to fill it with water.

"Do you think we should tell Gibbs that we are a couple?"

Tony shook his head quickly "Defiantly not" He said "I don't have a death wish"

Ziva put her hands on his shoulders "Abby and McGee are a couple. Why would we be any different?"

Tony looked at her wide eyed "Because we're on the Team together. And I'll stress the point _I do not have a death wish_"

Ziva pressed a kiss to his lips "He will find out eventually Tony" She said walking towards the kitchen door, unbuttoning the buttons of her shirt, letting it drop to the floor, leaving her naked. "Are you coming to bed?" She asked, looking over her shoulder.

Tony quickly walked to her, picking her up bridle style and walking into the bedroom, their phones on silent on the kitchen counter.


	6. It's Getting Hard To Breathe

_**Hey all!**_

**_Sorry for not updating in a while, Pippy and I went to Queensland for our birthday (Which was epic, by the way) and we had no internet. Plus, I had writers block._**

**_And for those who read my fic 'Still Alive and Kicking' the sequal is up and called 'All The Time In The World'._**

**_I had a different ending to this chapter, but as I was about to post it, I felt like being mean, so I re-wrote it. _**

**_Enjoy!_**

**_xoxElle_**

* * *

Well I want to scream  
But bitterness has silenced these emotions  
It's getting hard to breathe

* * *

Ari was woken early the next morning by Kate shaking violently next to him. He sat up and shook her shoulder, making her jolt awake and look up at him through bloodshot eyes.

"Caitlin, are you alright?" He asked, placing his hand on her forehead to check her temperature "You have a fever, we have to go to the hospital"

She shook her head, immediately stopping when she felt dizzy and nauseous, leaning over the side of the bed she threw up the food she had eaten that day.

Ari immediately stood up, gathering Kate up in his arms and taking her out into the living room, lying her down on the couch in the loose t-shirt and track pants she was wearing before quickly going back into the bedroom and putting his shirt and black jeans on.

When he came back out, Kate was shaking again and had gone more pale then she was. He once again put his hand to her forehead, feeling her still burning up. He shook his head.

"Caitlin, I must take you to the hospital" He said picking her car keys up off the coffee table "Are you able to walk?" He asked.

Kate stood up shakily and nodded at him, grabbing his wrist to steady herself before beginning to cough violently, putting her hand over her mouth as she did. Ari's hand came up to rub her back gently as her coughs subsided. She moved her hand away from her mouth and noticed a small amount of blood on it.

Ari put a hand on her lower back and quickly guided her out of their apartment and down to her car.

* * *

An hour later Ari stood next to Kate, who was now lying in a hospital bed with IVs and wires covering her while Dr. Cline looked at her chart by the end of the bed.

"Kate, it looks like you've contracted an infection in your lungs. You'll have to stay on the IV antibiotics for at least a week, so we can keep a close eye on you"

Kate nodded tiredly and closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep. Ari noticed as she softly breathed in and out there was a raspy noise. He frowned and brushed some hair away from her closed eyes as Dr. Cline left the room.

Ari swallowed thickly, giving her arm a gentle squeeze before he silently walked out of the room. He found Abby and McGee standing outside waiting, Abby clutching McGee's hand as they waited.

"What happened? Is she okay? You know, when you call at three in the morning saying Kate's going to hospital it makes me panic, so is she okay?" Abby said quickly. Ari glanced at McGee, noting that he looked tired and seemed to have heard all this ranting many times already.

"She has contracted an infection, they have put her on antibiotics" He said. Abby took a deep breath.

"So she'll be okay?"

"The doctors are hoping"

Abby took another deep breath and nodded. McGee squeezed her hand gently and leaned to whisper in her ear.

"Come on Abs, we'll go get some coffee" He said before looking at Ari "I've ah- tried to call Tony, but his cell's off"

Ari nodded slightly "Ziva's is not answering my calls either"

"I called Gibbs, I left a message on his cell phone" Abby said "But I don't think he's coming"

"I would not have expected him too. He is not on the best terms with Caitlin at the moment" He said.

Abby nodded with a frown on her face, squeezing McGee's hand as they turned and walked down the hallway and disappearing into the waiting room.

Ari rubbed his head, turning and facing Kate's room, looking at her lying in the bed surrounded by machines and looking so small and pale amongst them all.

Ari clenched his jaw and walked away.

* * *

Gibbs was down in his basement when Ari arrived at his house an hour later, and as Ari was expecting when he walked down the stairs he met the barrel of a gun.

"There is no need for that Agent Gibbs, I am simply here to talk" He said standing at the bottom of the staircase. Gibbs didn't move, and kept the gun trained on Ari's forehead.

"Then speak"

Ari nodded "Caitlin is in the hospital" He said, and inwardly smirked when the gun dropped slightly "She has contracted an infection and although she will not admit it, she would like you there"

Gibbs didn't say anything, but dropped his weapon to his side and kept his glare on Ari, the tension in the room thick.

"If you decide to go see, tell her I am sorry" Ari finished before turning and making his way up the staircase.

"What did you do to her, to have to say sorry?" Gibbs called after him. Ari turned and leaned against the stair railing.

"This has all happened because of me. She does not need to go through anymore"

"So you're walking away" Gibbs stated. Ari's hands tightened on the staircase railing, making his knuckles turn white and he straightened slightly.

"It is for the best"

* * *

When Kate woke up in the late hours of the morning she realized with a frown as she pushed herself up that the room was empty, apart from a small bunch of black roses sitting next to her bed. She sighed and scratched slightly at her IV, mindful not to knock it out as she did.

A few minutes later she was expecting to see Ari walk into the room, but was highly surprised when she saw Gibbs standing there with a coffee in his hand.

"I got a visit this morning" He said stepping into the room "He told me to tell you that he's leaving"

Kate swallowed "Ari?" She asked with a hoarse voice "What did he mean?"

"Said something about keeping you safe" Gibbs said standing at the foot of the bed.

Kate laughed without humour, looking down at her hands in her lap "I knew he would do this"

Gibbs shrugged "Can never trust a terrorist" He said.

Kate's eyes snapped to his, glaring at him "Do not get into that Gibbs. Ari's not a terrorist, he's my husband"

"Some husband, leaving when his wife's in hospital"

Kate closed her eyes "He blames himself" She said, bringing her hand up to press to her forehead, the IV pulling slightly, making her wince.

There was a long silence between the two, the only noise coming from the voices and footsteps outside the door.

"How are you feeling?" Gibbs asked awkwardly after a while, Kate glared at him.

"Like crap Gibbs" She said "Been through alot in the past month, being poisoned and all"

Gibbs stood straighter, giving her a look before turning and walking out the door, leaving her alone in the hospital room.

She brought her knees up to her chest slowly because her muscles still aching. She reached over to the side table, picking up at phone and dialling the familiar number.

"_Shalom?"_

"So you're just going to leave?" Kate asked quietly. She heard Ari sigh on the other end of the line.

"_Caitlin, you know it is for the best"_

"The best for you maybe, but I certainly don't think so" She said "Go to Israel, but then come back to me, alright? A few bad guys are not going to scare me"

She heard Ari chuckle, bring a smile to her own face "_You are an insane woman Caitlin, but I do not want to see you hurt again"_

"I'll be fine Ari. I'll sleep with an extra gun under our bed if it makes you feel better"

"_I must get on my flight now" _He said quickly, making Kate frown _"Goodbye Caitlin"_


	7. A Little Joy, A Little Sorrow

**_Hey everyone!_**

**_Sorry it's taken me so long to update. It was a mix between going away, being sick and re-thinking where this story was going._**

**_Luckily, now I have a good idea what's going to happen in this fic, so it'll be updated a lot quicker. _**

**_So, review and enjoy._**

**_xoxElle_**

**_Oh, and Happy Late New Year :)_**

* * *

_A little joy.  
A little sorrow.  
And a little pride so we won't have to borrow._

* * *

Tony stirred later that morning and slowly opened his eyes, the soft weight of Ziva lying slightly on him and the loud sounds of her snores echoing through his bedroom. He smiled and kissed the top of her head softly, making her snores suddenly stop and Ziva open her eyes.

She looked up at him and smiled softly, making him smile back at her and lean down to kiss her gently.

"Good morning" He murmured against her lips. She let her head fall back onto his shoulder, shifting so she was still looking up at him.

"Good morning" She murmured back, a smirk on her face as her hand wandered up and down his hairy chest.

Tony started to play with the ends of her hair, moving down to kiss her again. Just as he was about to press his lips to hers, he heard a loud knocking from his front door and sighed, throwing the covers off him and searching the room for his boxers.

When he finally reached the front door he threw it open, not bothering to check who it was through the peep hole.

He swallowed. "...Hi Boss"

"Any reason you don't answer your cell anymore, DiNozzo?"

Tony swallowed and prayed that Ziva didn't come out of the bedroom to see who it was. "Must be on silent" He shrugged, glancing back nervously at his bedroom door.

Gibbs' eyes narrowed slightly when he noticed things around Tony's apartment seemed...more feminine. They narrowed considerably more when he saw Ziva's backpack sitting neatly next to Tony's near the sofa.

"Something you want to tell me?" Gibbs asked as he stepped into Tony's apartment and got right into the younger agent's face.

Tony swallowed and scratched the back of his neck nervously. "...No Boss"

"Wrong answer" Gibbs said before turning around and walking back out the front door, slamming the door loudly as he did and making the photos on the wall rattle.

Ziva stepped out of the bedroom a moment later dressed in one of Tony's shirts, her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned against the doorframe.

"Do you think he knows?" She asked, rubbing her forehead tiredly.

Tony starred at the door. "I think I need that death wish now"

* * *

The next week Kate hadn't heard anything from Ari, which she had expected. She had been released from hospital a few days after she went in, only needing a course of antibiotics and a lot of rest, plus a lecture from Dr. Cline telling her to eat properly and walk around a bit more.

She was now walking through the airport in Indiana, looking around for her parents while wheeling a large suitcase behind her, packed with a month's worth of clothes.

"Katie!" She heard her mother yell over the crowd.

Kate turned around and came face to face with her mother and father, who were rushing towards her through the large amount of people.

Soon enough Kate was being hugged by Claire and Lucas Todd on either side of her, both asking her questions about her flight and what the doctors had told her. It had taken Kate a lot of effort to make sure her parents hadn't gone to Washington when she first was hurt, telling them that she was going to come visit as soon as she was out of hospital and that she had a very good group of friends, and her husband, to take care of her.

"Speaking of your husband" Claire said as Lucas took Kate's bags from her. "Where is he, I thought he would be coming with you"

Kate swallowed and put on a fake smile. "He's out of the country on business. He may be coming later this month"

Lucas nodded and started to take Kate's bags to the car, but Claire continued to look at her youngest child with a worried look.

* * *

Tony stopped in the doorway of Abby's Lab at lunch that day, trying to find a retreat from the glare that Gibbs had been giving him all morning. He had heard soft voices as he reached the doorway, causing him to stop and listen.

McGee was standing behind Abby as she stood in front of her computer, his arms were wrapped loosely around her waist as she laughed at something he had said to her. She turned her head and placed a hand on his cheek, pressing her lips to his as his arms tightened around her.

Tony cleared his throat loudly, making McGee quickly step away from Abby, who just turned around and gave Tony a large grin as McGee stuttered something about needing to check a file upstairs before quickly leaving.

Abby just shook her head as Tony walked up to her. "Do we have a case?" She asked. "Or are you just avoiding Gibbs?"

Tony smirked at her, making the Goth slap his arm. "What did you do?" She asked, crossing her arms.

Tony scratched the back of his head. "Well, this morning Gibbs came to my apartment and found a few things there that shouldn't have been"

Abby looked confused. "What kind of things?"

"A bag, a jacket...Ziva's bag and jacket" He said, bracing himself as soon as he said it.

Abby let out a squeal and threw her arms around Tony's neck. "You and Ziva?! I'm so happy for you guys!" She said jumping back and grinning. "How long has this been going on? Have you told her you love her? Have yo-"

"_Whoa!_" Tony said loudly to make her stop. "We're just...enjoying each other's company"

"You can't lie to me Anthony DiNozzo" Abby said, shaking a finger at him. "You wouldn't date your partner unless you had feelings for her"

"Just don't say anything Abbs" He said, rubbing a hand over his face. "What's with you and McGoo lately? You've been more...creepy cute couple than usual"

A soft smile spread across Abby's face, making Tony raise an eyebrow. "What?"

Abby bit her lip, looking as if she was having an internal debate before grinning and grabbing his hand, pulling him into the middle section of the lab and going to her desk, opening the draw and handing him a small..._what? _

"You're pregnant?" Tony asked, giving Abby his 100 watt grin as he looked at the sonogram in his hands.

Abby nodded with the biggest smile Tony had ever seen her give on her face. He stepped forward and gave her a hug and a kiss on the temple. "Congratulations. You're going to have a Mini-McGee"

Abby laughed and stepped back, a worried look spreading across her face. "You can't tell _anyone_. Got that Tony? We're not ready to tell anyone yet, I mean we've only know for like, a week and a half. I only told you because you're like my brother and I really needed to tell someo-"

"I got it Abbs" Tony said, handing the sonogram back to her and hearing the elevator ding. "Can I hide in ballistics?"

* * *

Kate smiled when she walked back into her childhood home with her parents. Not much had changed in the many years since she had gone to college, the garden was still the same, the paint was still the same, the only thing different was the wide screen TV she could see through the living room doorway.

"There's one thing we haven't told you Angel" Lucas said, putting her luggage down next to the stair case as Claire closed the front door behind them.

Kate didn't have a chance to ask what her father was talking about. In less than a second she heard three pairs of loud footsteps rushing towards her, then she was suddenly lifted in the air.

"Katie!"

Her three brothers, Warren, Drake and James had her by the legs and had lifted her, and were now getting yelled at by their mother.

When Kate's feet were finally put back on the ground she realized she was out of breath, she tried to calmly look through her purse to find the inhaler that her doctor had given her, but she began to feel dizzy.

James quickly took her bag from her and looking for the inhaler and noticing many pill bottles as he did, he finally found it and handed it to her, putting her bag down.

"Try to take deep breaths, okay Katie?" He said, rubbing her back as the rest of her family stood around them. James was the youngest of the three brothers, and was a neurosurgeon at a major hospital in Los Angeles. He was always referred to by his siblings as 'Dr. James'. Along with being a surgeon, he was raising his one year old son by himself, the mother of little Joshua abandoning them days after he was born.

"Geez Katie, what happened to you?" Warren, her oldest brother, asked. Kate had made her parents promise her not to say a word to her brothers or sister, knowing that they would fly from every corner of the country to see her, which she really didn't want. Plus James would have know exactly how bad her injuries where, which would make him worry more.

Once she got her breathing back under control she sighed. "I'll tell you all later. But why are you all here?" She asked.

"Mom and Dad wanted us to come visit" Drake, the second oldest of the brothers, said with a shrug. Drake was a second grade teacher at an elementary school in Seattle, where he lived with his wife and two children.

"We got here yesterday, but April couldn't come" Warren then said as they all walked into the large family room and sitting on the two large couches, Kate moving to sit in the armchair.

"Why do you need an inhaler Katie, and why are there so many pill bottles in your bag?" James asked worriedly. "Are you okay?"

Kate looked down at her hand and sighed, fiddling with her wedding ring. "A few weeks ago I was kidnapped by a terrorist, and he injected me with a type of poison that threatened to shut down my organs. My sister-in-law found me, and I flat lined twice when I was at hospital. The poison has done a lot of damage to my organs, so I've taken time off work to reoperate"

Her three brothers starred at her in shock while her parents listened with frowns on their faces, a tear making its way down Claire's cheek.

"Why didn't you call us Kate?" James said angrily, standing up from his seat and walking out of the room. Kate looked away from her family and tried to stay calm, at the moment crying took a lot out of her, so she took deep breaths. She knew James would react badly, the two of them were the closest in age and had grown up as each others best friends.

"I think I'll go to my room, I'm tired from the flight" She said before retreating to her childhood bedroom.

* * *

Kate sat cross-legged on her bed, her cell phone resting in her hands as she looked around the room. Photo frames rested on every surface of the room, there were pictures of her family as she grew up, her friends and even the photo of the Team she had sent her parents earlier that year. The walls were still the same colour that she painted them when she was twelve, a light purple colour she was obsessed with for a period of time.

She finally looked at her phone and dialled the familiar number, holding the device to her ear and waiting patiently as it rang.

"_Caitlin" _Came the familiar voice of her husband.

"I didn't expect you to answer" Kate said in a tired voice. "I was going to leave a message"

"_It is early in the morning here. I answer my phone when people call it"_

"I didn't want to wake you, but I thought you'd like to know that I'm in Indiana. And I wanted to know if you were ever going to come back" She said quickly, not wanting to hear herself say what she was thinking out loud, but she knew she had to.

The was a long silence on the other end of the line, she knew he was still there because she could still hear him breathing softly.

"_You are a hard person to stay away from Caitlin"_ he said. "_But I am going on a mission in two days, and I do not know how long I will be gone for. I will return when I can"_

Kate took a relived breath. "My brothers are here. I may be in jail for murder by the time you get back, it's like having three DiNozzo's around"

She heard Ari chuckle through the phone. _"I have to go Caitlin, I will speak to you soon"_

"Stay safe" She murmured.

"_You too"_

Kate hung up her cell and placed it next to her bed, moving to lay under the covers and have a short sleep before lunch, now feeling a lot better than she had in days. She hoped she stayed that way.

* * *

**_Review._**

**_xoxElle_**


	8. Can't Let It Bring Us Down

_**It's been a awhile, I know, uni got in the way.**_

**_I'm back into the flow of writing, so hopfully things will be update._**

**_Review! They seriously give me the push to write!_**

**_xoxElle_**

* * *

Taken all I could take,  
And I cannot wait.  
We're wasting too much time  
Being strong, holding on.  
Can't let it bring us down.

* * *

A week had passed since Kate had arrived at her parent's house, and she had spent most of the time sleeping and taking her medications. Her brother Warren had convinced her to go on short runs every day to re-build her strength, which had been painful at first, but now she was grateful for the distraction. Warren had managed to shock their parents by announcing that his boyfriend would be coming to stay, after said boyfriend had arrived at the house of course, as well as her brother Drake's wife and two children, who Kate adored.

The youngest of her brothers, James, was still ignoring her. He had refused to talk to her since she had told them all what had happened to her, she understood, she really did, she would act the same way if he had kept something like that from her.

It had also been a week since she had heard anything from Ari. She didn't give it a second thought though, considering she was so used to not hearing from him while he was on missions.

She was currently sitting in the backyard of her childhood home watching her father attempt to cook steaks on the barbeque. Her nieces, a seven year old and an eleven year old, were using water guns to attack Warren and his boyfriend, Nick. James was laying on the grass with Jonathan, his one year old son, watching him crawl around him. Everyone else was scattered around the patio, talking and enjoying the Saturday morning.

Kate heard the ringing of her cell phone, which was sitting on the picnic table in the middle of the backyard and excused herself from her mother and Drake's wife, Catherine, and quickly made her way to answer her ringing cell.

She reached her phone and saw Ziva's picture and name flash across the screen.

"Ziva. Hi" Kate said, sitting on the bench of the picnic table.

"_Kate, Ari's missing"_

Kate closed her eyes. "How long has it been?" She asked quietly. From across the yard James looked up at Kate, and noticed straight away that something was wrong with her. He was still so mad at her, but the way she was sitting and the look on her face concerned him. He hadn't seen her like this since they were teenagers and they were told their Uncle had been injured at work, as he was a Secret Service Agent, just like Kate was.

"_He last checked in with his control officer six days ago. It is unlike him to not check in. I have not heard anything else" _Ziva said, and Kate could tell by Ziva's tone of voice that she was trying to hide her worry.

Kate let out a sigh. "Thank you for calling...could you ring me when you find anything out?" She asked.

"_Of course. I will talk to you soon. Shalom"_

Kate took the phone away from her ear and hung up, holding the phone tightly in her hands as she thought things through. He wasn't dead...just missing.

"...You okay?" James asked as he sat next to her. Kate turned her head and looked at him, slightly shocked that he was actually talking to her after ignoring her all week.

"I'm fine" She said, giving him an obviously fake smile.

James gave her a doubtful look. "Katie, you're holding your cell so tightly your knuckles are white"

Kate looked down at her hands.

Oh.

"Don't worry James, it's fine" She said, placing her phone on the table behind her, returning her hands to her lap.

"Who was on the phone?" He asked. "That husband we know nothin' about?"

Kate laughed lightly. "No, my sister-in-law"

James considered that for a moment. "...is she hot?"

Kate glared and punched him in the arm, electing a groan from him.

"Jesus. I forgot how hard you hit" He said. "It was a completely valid question"

Kate smiled at him. "You should go save your son" She said, pointing over to the other side of the yard. "Warren and Nick are about to kidnap him"

James looked up and groaned, pushing himself up and making his way to where his other brother was using water to style his one-year-old's hair into a Mohawk.

Kate picked up her phone again and dialled Ari's emergency cell phone, but was met with an immediate dial-tone.

She tried once more.

Nothing.

* * *

"Do you want to get married?" McGee asked as he and Abby walked across the Navy yard during their lunch break.

"Because of this?" Abby asked, pointing to her stomach. "No way" She said shaking her head.

"Oh" McGee said, deflated. Abby stoped and stood in front of him, putting her hands on his shoulders.

"I don't want to get married just because I'm pregnant Tim. I don't ever want to get married. I'm not the wife-type." She said, gasping slightly at the dejected look on McGee's face. "That doesn't mean I don't love you! It's that I don't think that we need a piece of paper to say that...I have ways to show you, even when this parasite is big" She said with a smirk. McGee put one hand on her hip and wrapped the other one around her back to bring her towards him.

Just as he was about to kiss her he stopped. "Did you just call our baby a parasite?"

Abby just responded with a roll of her eyes. She kissed him quickly and went back to his side, entwining their fingers together and continued to walk while McGee gave her a smile.

"You won't have to worry about the whole marriage-thing soon" Abby said with a shrug. "After Gibbs finds out, you'll be dead"

McGee paled. He forgot the little detail of telling Gibbs –the man Abby considered as a second father- who would most likely hunt him down once he found out.

McGee was not looking forward to that.

* * *

Tony glanced up from his computer –which he was avoiding doing anything on- and noticed Ziva dialling a number over and over again. Seeing as it was lunch, Gibbs and McGee were absent from the Bullpen, leaving the two of them alone to finish up some extra paperwork. Gibbs was still angry at Tony, making sure to give the senior field agent all the paperwork for that week so far, and as they were still working a case, he got to do all that paperwork on a Saturday.

He pushed himself up from his desk and wondered over to Ziva just as she slammed the phone down.

"Someone take away your ninja-death-stars?" He asked, leaning against her desk beside her. She didn't say anything, just glared at him as she picked up the phone again and dialling what he assumed was an out of country number.

Suddenly Ziva started to talk extremely fast in what Tony guessed was Hebrew. And judging by the look on Ziva's face, she wasn't exactly happy with the person she was talking too.

"Papa" She hissed.

_Oh, Daddy-David, _Tony thought. He placed a hand on Ziva's tense shoulder and squeezed gently. She didn't look at him, but her shoulders relaxed slightly under his hand as she continued her conversation on the phone.

A minute later she slammed the phone down again.

"You okay?" Tony asked cautiously, crouching down beside her.

Ziva looked down at him. "Ari has gone missing. My Father does not know, nor care where he is"

Tony nodded. "Does Kate know?"

"Yes. I called her when I found out" She said. "Ari has not done this before unless he has been injured. He would not worry Kate like this"

Tony put a hand on her thigh and squeezed. "Hey, don't worry. He's probably fine"

Ziva patted his cheek lightly and kept her hand there. "Toda Tony"

They heard the 'ding' of the elevator, which made Tony quickly stand up in fear of getting head-slapped. He quickly turned to Ziva and squeezed her fingers before dashing to his desk.

* * *

The next night Kate sat on the small, single bed in her childhood bedroom with cold case files open in front of her. Director Sheppard had given her things to work on, by Kate's request, while she was on leave. Kate glanced at the clock up on the wall and saw it was nearing one in the morning. She hadn't slept well the night before either, ever since Ziva had told her about Ari she had had the sick feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was gravely wrong.

She closed the case file open in front of her and put it on the table beside her bed before slipping under the sheets and turning the light beside her off. She was almost asleep when she heard her door creek open slightly, then the sound of footsteps coming towards her.

She opened her eyes, expecting to see one of her nieces standing in front of her, but instead found Ari kneeling next to her bed.

She closed her eyes. "I'm dreaming" She murmured.

A hand gently cupped her cheek. "No Caitlin" He murmured back, slight humour in his voice. "You are not dreaming"

Kate sat up as Ari moved to sit on the edge of the bed, he reached over and wrapped an arm around her torso, bringing her closer so he could hold her, burying his face between her neck and shoulder as her arms went around his back.

She felt his hiss quietly into her neck and pulled away, giving him a concerned look as she removed her hands from his back.

"You're hurt" She stated.

"Yes" He confirmed. She gave him a look -one he was so very used to now- which meant that he had to show her, or risk losing body parts.

He shrugged off his jacket and stood up, turning around and taking off the black t-shirt to expose his back. Well, what Kate could _see _of his back. From his right shoulder blade down to below his left kidney was covered in medical gauze and tape.

"There are fifteen stitches" He mumbled, turning back around.

"You went off the grid for _six_ _days_" She said, tucking her legs underneath herself and crossing her arms. "Ziva called me. She had no idea where you were"

"I was in Gaza" He said. "There was an incident, and I returned to America"

"What happened?" She asked. Ari stayed silent, his eyes averting from hers for a moment before returning.

"It does not matter" He said. "It was a mission".

Kate placed a hand on his leg and squeezed gently."You don't have to tell me" She said softly. "You haven't said hello to me properly yet"

Ari sat down next to her again and brushed her hair back from her face, pressing his lips to hers gently as her ran his hand up her side. Kate put a hand around him and ran her fingertips along the gauze softly so she wouldn't hurt him. He pulled away for a moment and brusher his thumb under her eye.

"You are looking better" He said, studying her face and seeing that all the tiredness she had the last time he saw her had disappeared.

Kate on the other hand was looking at the way Ari's shoulders were shrugged slightly, and the way that his eyes had an anguished look that was not there before. He looked emotionally drained, tired and generally not himself.

"I feel better" She said with a small smile. "You look like crap"

Ari smirked at her, but it seemed as though it was forced. Kate took his hand and pulled him gently to lay down in the single bed. Ari managed to kick of his shoes before lying on his stomach, so he would not have to feel the pain of his back if it rubbed on the mattress, while Kate laid behind him, lying with her chest against his back, making sure not to touch the gauze while wrapping around him until her hand held his.

"This should be the other way around" Ari mumbled tiredly, his eyes closed as he tightened his fingers around hers.

"Shh" Kate whispered, her head against his. "You'll wake my brothers. They'll beat the crap out of you if they wake up"

Ari was asleep as soon as she spoke. Kate stayed awake a few minutes longer, watching him and studying his back. Something had happened. She knew it had. He wouldn't have just gone off the grid for that long without a good reason, and with the injury to his back, it must have been bad.

Kate pressed a kiss to his left shoulder before falling asleep wrapped around her husband.

* * *

The Team hated working on Sunday.

Gibbs had disappeared up to Director Sheppard's office over an hour ago with two cups of coffee in his hand, leaving the two Agents and one Officer to try and find some descent leads in their latest case.

McGee taped absentmindedly at the keys on his keyboard as he half listened to Tony and Ziva throw theory's about the case back and forth to each other. A Marine had been found dead in a house/meth lab, along with a civilian. They had found the bodies on the Thursday, and they hadn't found any leads as to why the Marine was even in the house.

Suddenly the ground shook slightly and the fire alarms began blaring obnoxiously from every point on the floor. Gibbs and Jenny were making their way quickly across the catwalk outside MTAC and down the stairs as people began making their way towards the emergency staircase, the look on Gibbs' face told the Team that something was _really _bad.

"What's going on?" Tony asked as Gibbs and Jenny walked hurriedly past the Bullpen, the three others quickly catching up to them.

"There has been an incident in Ms. Sciuto's lab, everyone must evacuate the building" Jenny said in her 'Director tone'.

McGee's stomach dropped and he pushed past everyone, running as quickly through the excess amount of people and trying not to fall as he ran down the staircase. Smoke was leaking its way into the stairwell from underneath the door that lead to the hall outside Abby's lab, and when McGee pushed it open smoke barrelled its way through, making the many agents making their way downstairs cough and cover their mouths.

McGee could faintly hear the rest of the Team following him, but his mind was set in trying to find Abby and get her out of the building.

His eyes were burning from the smoke by the time he reached her lab, the smoke was getting thicker and thicker as he get closer, finally making it into the first section of the lab. He found Abby lying close to the door covered in ash from the smoke, he fell to his knees next to her and pulled her into his arms, covering her mouth with the handkerchief he had been using to cover his mouth from the smoke. She was unconscious when he picked her up, and with the help of Gibbs, they got her outside.

"Abbs, wake up" McGee said when they laid her down on the grass outside the building, where everyone who had evacuated was watching as the fire brigade, police and ambulances made their way to the building.

Abby started to violently cough, her eyes not opening. "The baby..." She moaned quietly.

Gibbs, who was kneeling next to the two, snapped his eyes up and glared at the young agent, who wisely kept his attention on Abby.

The paramedics made their way to them, pushing the two men out of the way so they could treat Abby. They assessed the injuries as she began to violently cough again, suddenly gasping for breath and groping around with her hand for McGee. He caught her hand just as she went limp, the paramedics worked fast as one said:

"I can't find a pulse"


	9. They're Not Enough

**Yes, I know how much I suck because of the major lack of updates, but I hope this chapter will make you put away the fire and pitchforks for a few days.**

**Actually, you may not be that pleased with me. Hmm.**

**Well, enjoy! AND REVIEW! They are like winning awesome points.**

**~Elle**

* * *

Those three words  
Are said too much  
They're not enough.

* * *

It was nearing 3am when Ari moved beneath her, trying not to disturb her as he tried to remove himself from the small bed. His movements didn't matter, as the Special Agent had woken up ten minutes after falling asleep when he had returned three hours earlier. She said nothing, just met his eyes and watched as he went into the small ensuite and quietly closed the door.

She did nothing but fall asleep.

* * *

The ER was in chaos.

NCIS Agents and Personnel were being brought in for smoke inhalation and minor injuries. It seemed as though Abby was the only one who was badly injured as McGee rushed in next to the stretcher, on which laid an unconscious Abby. During the ambulance ride over, Abby regained consciousness long enough to ask _him_ if he was alright, just in case Gibbs had shot him.

He vaguely felt himself being pushed away by the doctors who were trying to make their way through to his girlfriend. _Pregnant_ girlfriend.

"She's pregnant" McGee said to a doctor. "The explosion was in her lab...We don't know what caused it"

"Thank you sir, I need you to go wait in the waiting room while we tend to her"

McGee tried to move forward to get to Abby, but he felt the heavy feeling of a palm on his shoulder, pulling him back from getting in the way. He turned his head and found Tony standing straight behind him.

He didn't hear what the Senior Field Agent said, but the next thing he knew he was sitting in the waiting room.

Kate sat on the edge of her bed later that day staring at the '_Ferris Bueller's Day Off__' _poster she hung on her wall when she was thirteen. Throughout the morning, neither she nor Ari had left the room. They didn't speak, just slept or laid in silence, thinking the other were sound asleep. Ari had laid on his back, the large cut not hurting as much when pressed against the gauze tape and soft mattress, leaving Kate to curl up next to him with her head tucked under his chin. Kate's family were either still sleeping or downstairs, Claire warning them (especially her nieces) that she had needed rest which meant a good length of privacy for she and Ari to talk. That, and her brothers couldn't interrogate them.

A shirtless Ari emerged from the tiny ensuite that came off her childhood bedroom a moment later, moving to stand in front of her.

"You need to tell me what happened" She said firmly. Ari nodded slightly and sat down next to her.

"The first night in, the mission I was on was compromised" He said quietly, folding his hands in his lap. Kate raised an eyebrow at him.

"Come on, you have to give me more than that"

Ari sighed and ran a hand over his face. "You must understand that a mission for Mossad is different to those you do for NCIS" He said, choosing all his words carefully. "The risks are higher, and you are expected to do things you do not want to. And in this case, I had no other options"

* * *

"_You have no choice" Eli David snapped at his son. _

_Ari stood before his fathers desk, hands flat on the dark wooden desk as he leaned forward. "No, you gave me a choice. Whether to put my wife's life in on the line, or cheat on her" _

_Eli calmly leaned back in his chair. "I will expect your report on my desk at the end of next week"  
_

* * *

"What do you mean '_My wife's life on the line'?"_ Kate asked after a moment of silent processing.

"The mission could have been approached differently. My father had wanted to bring you in on it. But it would entitle it to be a suicide mission, as both were classified as" He said, watching her expression. _Oh good, _he thought, _She is already at pissed off_. "I chose the second option. The thought of you on one of these missions...You have been through enough"

Kate stared at him with a frown. "I should say thank you, but seeing as option two was cheating, I don't think I will"

* * *

_Ari was not going to lie. He missed the rush he got while on assignment in a foreign country. Well, three years ago he would have considered America a foreign country, but since the night at a Washington D.C nightclub, he considered the country more of a home then Israel had been in a long while. _

_New York at night was a thing he had missed. Most of the missions he had been given since his father had found out that he had married an American NCIS Agent, he had been given a lot of suicide missions; but thankfully none had been well...fatal. He could only hope that this time would be different, so Caitlin would not have to know what he had done. _

_As he ordered his glass of scotch from the black haired twenty-something year old bartender, and once he held the glass in his hand he eyed his target down the bar. She was short, blonde and wearing a skin tight red dress with just as red lipstick gracing her lips. _

_He straightened his back as she caught his stare and began to make her way to him. It was going to be a long night._

_

* * *

_

Kate couldn't think of the appropriate reaction she should have given Ari in that very moment as he explained being in that nightclub. She was so mad, but she knew that even at NCIS they would take any means to close a case. Hell, she even pretended to be pregnant with DiNozzo's kid to get information a year ago. She just wanted to know what the hell he meant when he had said that her life would have been on the line.

She watched as Ari shifted beside her, his hand going over her legs to rest beside them so he was facing her more. She saw his jaw clench and his muscles flex as the pain from his back shot through his body from the movement.

_Good,_she thought bitterly.

* * *

_The nightclub is on the bottom floor of a 57 story hotel/apartment building a few blocks away from Times Square, and only a few hours after he had spotted his target, they were in the elevator on their way to the 49__th__ floor to a room he had paid for in cash was located. _

"_What has brought you to America?" Ari asked, but seeing as this was a mission, he had given the woman the name Haswari. He hadn't had to use that in a while._

_The woman, whose name was __Madelaine __Rodriguez, and was right in the middle of smuggling rings ranging from drugs and guns to people and diamonds. Quite the resume for a woman of only 25 years old. _

"_Business" She whispered in his ear, pressing him against the elevator wall as the metal box clicked past floor 23. "Sightseeing"_

_Ari hummed as Madelaine attached herself to his neck and began unbuttoning the top buttons of his black shir-_

_

* * *

_

"Ari, I don't need to know the details" Kate said, pushing Ari's arm with her hip as she got off the small bed to stand beside it. "What's done is done"

"No Caitlin, you must know the rest" Ari said, rising to his feet and walking around the bed to stand in front of her. "I stopped. Once we were in the hotel room, my cover was compromised"

Kate shook her head and gave him a sad smile. "It's never as simple as that. Last night, you said the incident was in Gaza, and now you're telling me you were in New York"

Ari sighed. "I _was _in Gaza to begin with, but the target fled to New York"

Downstairs James sat at the kitchen bench, his son Jonathon sitting in a high chair beside him playing with the contents of the bowl that had been placed in front of him while Drake walked around the kitchen cooking pancakes, bacon and every other kind of breakfast food he could think of for the large gathering. Lexie and Sarah, Drake's seven and eleven year olds sat at the large dining room table in the adjacent room with their mother, plus Claire and Lucas.

"Whose motorbike's out the front?" Nick -Warren's boyfriend- asked as the two walked into the room after going for a run. "It's pretty sweet"

"Who says '_sweet' _anymore?" Warren asked as he snatched a pancake off James' plate as he walked past.

"None of us have a bike" James said, shooting Warren a Todd-Death-Glare.

There was a sudden _bang_ that echoed down from upstairs, and Kate's loud, angry voice that the three brothers hadn't heard since Kate was a teenager.

"Cath," Drake said, looking at his wife as James and Warren exited the kitchen and headed towards the stairs. "Keep the kids down here"

Once the three brothers were upstairs they head a male voice join Kate's, further concerning the three as they threw open Kate's door.

* * *

Tony could not stop fidgeting. What was with hospital waiting room chairs anyway? Were they designed to irritate worried family and friends?

He huffed as he slouched in the chair, rubbing a hand over his face as he looked over at McGee, who sat staring at the two doors that lead into the wing of the hospital they had taken Abby into an hour ago. _Poor kid, _Tony thought with a frown.

A shape blocking the irritating hospital lights suddenly stood over him, holding something in front of his face. He looked up to find Ziva standing in front of him holding a cup of coffee out to him. He took it with a pathetic attempt at a smile while Ziva sat beside him, nursing her own cup in her lap.

"I am sure she will be fine, Tony" Ziva said quietly. Tony turned his head and gave her a doubtful look; pausing before putting his hand on her leg in a silent thanks, going back to being lost in his own thoughts. And thinking about how _damn uncomfortable _the chair was.

* * *

They never fought like this.

Sure, they had disagreements...A lot of them...but in Kate and Ari's almost three year relationship had they _yelled _at each other.

Ari had tried to tell her the rest of the mission, how he pushed the girl away once they entered the hotel room, how she had gotten so angry she pulled a knife and slashed him across the back and how he had passed out from the blood loss on the hotel room floor.

He went into detail about the things that had occurred up until the moment the knife sliced his back, but Kate wasn't stupid, she knew he was skipping large parts of the details, which pissed her off even more then she was.

Their voices rose, and they had paced and moved around the room as they argued using furniture to release their anger on. At one point, when the argument reached its highest point, Kate leaned against the ensuite door with Ari standing right in front of her, both spitting words at each other.

There was a sudden bang, a noise that neither of the two had caused, prompting them to snap around to find Kate's brothers standing in the doorway, staring at the man in boxers snapping at their little sister.

"Who the hell is this?" Warren asked, crossing the room to push Ari away.

Kate glared at her brothers. "Get the hell out"

Drake looked at her if she was crazy. "We hear yelling, we hear bangs, and there is a strange guy in your room. So no Katie, we will not 'get the hell out'"

At this point, Kate and Ari had somehow been herded to be on opposite sides of the small cluster of angry brothers. James stood beside Kate, and hand on her shoulder.

"Are you alright?" He asked. Kate was still angry, and it didn't help that her brothers had decided to barge in just as she and Ari had started to get some sort of progress in their..._debate._

"I'm fine. Get out" She snapped.

Drake was standing in front of Ari, who was at least a foot taller than him, as he kept the man separated from his little sister. Warren shook his head.

"We're not leaving you alone with this guy. Dad's probably so freaked that he's already called the cops" He said.

Kate looked over at Ari and rolled her eyes. "He's my husband" She said calmly. "Now. Get out"

14-year-old Kate would have been proud at how calm she had addressed her brothers under the amount of anger and irritation she was feeling in that very moment. But, just like she thought they would, the brothers didn't budge, instead all three of them looked at Ari. Judging him.

_Oh god, _Kate thought bitterly.

She was about to pull out her gun in a pathetic attempt to get rid of her brothers when her phone started to ring obnoxiously loudly from beside her bed.

The men in the room paid no attention to the noise, they were too distracted individually plotting the murder of the _Husband _they had never met that was causing pain to their Katie.

Kate made a strangled noise from her position next to her bed, causing the four men to look over at her. She hung up her cell and told her brothers to leave. And for once in her life, the three actually listened to her.

"You should go back to Israel" She said, walking over to her dresser and beginning to pull out piles of her clothes.

"What has happened?" He asked, putting a hand on her arm to turn her around. She shrugged him off and crossed her arms.

"There was an explosion at NCIS. Abby's in hospital" She said, her back straight and her voice in 'work tone' as Ari had referred to it on many occasions.

"I will come with yo-"

"No" She said. "You won't"

There was a long silence as the two processed the meaning of the statement. Ari nodded. "I will not go with you" He murmured, moving forward to press a kiss to her forehead, lingering for a few moments before moving back to slip his jeans and shirt back on. "Goodbye, Caitlin"

She didn't say anything as she watched him pick up his helmet and leave the room, closing the door behind him. She stood in the middle of her childhood bedroom for a long time, thinking back to when she stood in the same place when she was sixteen after her first boyfriend, Tommy Kendal, had broken up with her.

This hurt so much more.


	10. But We All Fade Sometimes

Katie, you're a brave girl  
Courage is something I'll need now  
Because it's been a hell of a day  
I've spent fading away  
But we all fade sometimes

* * *

Kate had gone downstairs with a small bag five minutes after she had sent Ari out, avoiding her brothers as she made a bee line through the kitchen to her parents, explaining to them that she had to go back to Washington for a few days to be there for Abby. They hadn't asked her any questions like her brothers had (Who had also threatened to call April, the oldest sibling, to come talk to Kate), instead they asked if her friend was okay, and when she would be coming back.

She couldn't give a defiant answer to either of those questions, instead saying goodbye to her nieces, ignoring her brothers, who were still shouting questions, and walking out the front door.

Only to come face to face with Ari, who was casually leaning against one of the wooden columns on the front patio.

"I told you to leave" Kate snapped, walking past him. She stopped and looked out at the driveway. She didn't have a car.

Ari raised an eyebrow. "I will take you to the airport, and I will return to Washington with you"

Kate stared at him before sighing. "Only because I don't have a car" She said.

Ari smirked. "Alright" He said, putting a hand on her lower back and guiding her to the blue motorcycle he had parked between two of her brothers' cars. "You do not have any luggage" He stated.

"After I go see Abby, I'm coming back" She said, eyeing the bike next to her. "Blue. That's not like you"

"Yes, you see" He leaned down slightly. "I may not have acquired this legally"

Kate punched him in the arm. "Ari!"

Ari shrugged a shoulder, handing her the extra helmet that was in the seat compartment, replacing it with the shoulder bag she had grabbed on her way out. "The owner will not notice. It was parked in the long-term parking structure at the airport"

The sides of Kate's mouth twitched up, turning serious again when she remembered the reason she had sent Ari out in the first place.

"We have to talk" She said, internally scolding herself for how much of a cliché that sounded like.

Ari nodded. "Yes. But after you make sure your friend is alright"

Those words finally sent Kate into the reality of what had happened in the past twenty-five minutes. She swallowed and looked out to the street. She felt Ari's hand on her hip as he pressed his lips to her temple.

"Abby will be alright" Ari murmured, pulling back and sitting on the bike.

"What about your back?" Kate asked, putting her helmet on and sitting on the bike behind him, leaning back so she wouldn't touch his back. Ari's arms reached back and grabbed hers, wrapping them around his torso. She felt him tense up when she pressed against his injured back. "Ari..."

"It is not as bad now, Caitlin" He said. "Do not let go" Was the last thing he said before starting the bike and tearing out of the driveway.

* * *

"I hate that guy" Warren said as the three brothers stared out of the living room window, watching as Kate and her _husband_ talked on the front deck. Nick, Warren's boyfriend, came up behind him and looked over his shoulder.

"You've never met him" Nick pointed out. Warren looked sideways and glared.

"That's the point" Drake said as the guy put a hand on Kate's back and walked downstairs. "We don't know who he is"

James sighed. "She'll tell us everything eventually" He said. "I mean...It took her over a year to tell us she joined the Secret Service"

* * *

"Family for Abigail Sciuto?" A doctor wearing dark blue scrubs asked as he walked into the waiting room, which was now scattered with the family and friends of the employees of NCIS.

McGee was the first to his feet, walking quickly to the doctor, followed closely by Tony, Ziva and Ducky. No-one knew where Gibbs was. He had come to the hospital when Abby was first brought in, but disappeared shortly after when he went for coffee an hour before hand.

"I'm her boyfriend" McGee said quickly, worry coursing through him. "Is she alright? The baby?"

"Miss. Sciuto is suffering from severe smoke inhalation, so we've put her on a ventilator to help her breathe" He said. "And the baby is fine for now, as long as Miss. Sciuto's condition doesn't deteriorate in the next 24 hours"

"Can I see her?" McGee asked. When the doctor gave him a nod, the Special Agent walked quickly past him and down the hall where they had taken wheeled her.

He froze in the doorway when he reached Abby's room. All he saw was how pale she looked, the way her pigtails were now crooked and the tube in her throat that was hooked up to the ventilator that was breathing for her beside her bed. There were two monitors that were showing both hers and their baby's heartbeat, both sounding steady.

He stepped into the room, moving towards the seat beside the hospital bed and settling himself down into it. He took Abby's right hand in his and squeezed, hoping that she knew he was there with her. His other hand reached into his pocket and fished around for the ring box he had grabbed out of his desk when the fire alarm at NCIS first sounded.

He pulled out the engagement ring and slipped it onto her right ring finger. He knew she didn't want to get married yet, but when she woke up he would tell her that it could just be a promise ring, rather than an engagement.

Outside the room, the rest of the Team stood watching the scene in the room. Ducky started to talk about an old friend who was caught up in a forest fire and suffered smoke inhalation in the late 1980's. Ziva's phone rang loudly behind the Medical Examiner, earning her many glares from the Nurses and Doctors that were sitting at the nearby Nurse's station.

"You're supposed to turn that off" Tony said to her. "_Or put it on silent, like everyone does" _He mock-whispered.

Ziva waved a hand in front of Tony's face as she pulled out her ringing cell phone. Tony managed to glance at the screen and see the words '_Director David_' flash up before Ziva answered with a string of Hebrew and walking away back down the hall.

* * *

During the entire flight back to Washington Kate and Ari sat in silence. Ari had taken out a book in a language that Kate couldn't identify and began reading. He had given Kate a book that she had mentioned she wanted to read the last time he was with her; but it laid abandoned on the pull-down table in front of her.

When they touched down in Washington in the late afternoon, Ari's hand never left her lower back; something she was thankful for. When she told him that she would be able to find her own way to Bethesda he shook his head, saying that he would accompany her until she was sure that Abby was alright. She didn't refuse. Mostly because she didn't have the energy to argue with him anymore.

They got to the hospital as the sun began to sink behind the buildings and street lights began flicking on. It had only clicked in Kate's head that Ari would not be accepted well walking into the hospital and facing Gibbs when the taxi pulled into the Bethesda Naval Hospital parking lot, so Ari decided to stay outside and find some coffee for the two of them.

"Kate?" A voice said from behind her as she reached the front nurse's station. She turned around to find Jimmy Palmer standing behind her holding two Styrofoam cups, a tea-tag hanging out of one of them.

"Hello Palmer" She said tiredly. "How's Abby?"

"Oh...She's on a ventilator. But she and the baby are still alive" He said, fidgeting with the cups.

"Baby?" Kate asked, her eyes widening.

Palmer's eyes widened even more than hers. "Oh! You didn't know!...Ah, Doctor Mallard wanted some tea...so..." He trailed off. "But Abby's in room 322. Everyone's there"

_What is this?,_ Kate thought_, Information over load day?_.

She followed the young M.E. to the third floor and down a series of hallways until she saw Tony, Ziva and Ducky sitting in some chairs outside a room. Ziva spotted her first, standing and walking to her before asking quietly;

"Have you heard from Ari?"

Kate nodded. "He's outside. He came to Indiana last night"

Kate barely finished her sentence before Ziva whooshed past her in a blur of brown hair and black clothes. Tony approached Kate a moment later with a confused look on his face.

"What was that all about?" He asked.

Kate rolled her eyes. "What's this DiNozzo? No hello?"

"Hello, Kate" He said in a winy voice, as if his mother had told him to do so.

"Where's Gibbs?" She asked, looking into the room beside them and seeing McGee asleep with his head on Abby's arm.

Tony shrugged. "He disappeared when Abby was brought in" He said. "I even tried calling Director Sheppard a couple of times"

"Why would Director Sheppard know?" Kate asked, her eyebrows creasing together in confusion.

Tony raised an eyebrow and gave her a look. She gaped at him as he nodded.

"Well, I can only take a shot in the dark at what the Boss does when he disappears into Director Sheppard's office during the day"

An hour later, Tony and Kate watched as Ziva walked back towards them with an irritated look on her face.

"I am sorry, Tony" Ziva said stopping a few feet away from the two sitting Agents. "But I must leave, give Abby and McGee my best"

Tony practically jumped to his feet. "What do you mean leave?"

Ziva put a hand on his chest and gave him a soft smile. "Do not worry. It only means I need to go home, to the apartment"

Kate almost gagged at the relieved look on Tony's face, an opinion which she voiced to the Senior Field Agent once he had turned around to find where the scoffing noise had come from.

Ziva smirked, something Kate always found unnerving that it was almost identical to Ari's. "Kate, Ari is outside. He is asking for you"

_Oops, _Kate thought. She completely forgot she had left Ari outside. She was distracted by her short visit into Abby's room once McGee had woken up and gone in search for coffee that didn't come from the hospital cafeteria. She nodded at Ziva before saying that she would be back and setting off towards the line of elevators down the hall.

He was sitting on a bench just to the left of the main doors of the hospital, two coffees in hand. He silently held one up to her when she tiredly sat down beside him and took it gratefully. It was still hot, meaning Ari had anticipated she would be a while inside. He knew her too well.

"How is your friend?" He asked, turning on the seat to fact her.

She frowned. "She hasn't woken up yet. But the doctor said she should hopefully wake up soon"

Ari nodded and rested his free arm along the back of the bench, his hand resting on the back of her shoulder. He took a sip from the cup in his hand and waited patiently for Kate to say what she had on her mind.

She finally gave him a sad smile. "We were never going to have a long relationship, were we?"

Ari shook his head. "No" He said, his hands moving to play with the ends of her hair. "Although, I had never expected to be with anyone longer then I have been with you"

"I just expected Gibbs to shoot you" She said with a shrug, sipping her coffee to hide a smile.

Ari smirked. "Yes. I have not ruled that out yet, he still does not seem to like me very much"

Kate laughed, almost chocking on the sip of coffee she was trying to swallow. "I didn't notice" She said sarcastically.

Ari turned around to throw his empty coffee cup into the trash can was screwed into the ground beside the bench before standing up, brushing some dirt off his sleeve as Kate joined him, holding her coffee with both hands.

Ari tilted his head down slightly to look at her, after all, he was at least a foot taller than her. But she didn't look back at him, instead staring down at the cup in her hands.

"_Caitlin"_

His voice snapped her out of whatever she was thinking about, making her finally look at him. She looked up at him with that sad smile expression across her face, which made Ari's gut clench with all those _stupid_ things that he always ignored in his life.

He pressed a kiss to her forehead, using a hand to brush her hair away from her face, tucking the long brown strands behind her ear. His other hand landed on her hip as he moved his head back slightly to look at her, keeping his hands exactly where they were.

"You must believe me when I say that nothing happened with that woman" He murmured as Kate put her free hand on his chest.

She sighed. "To be honest-"

"You are _never_ honest. Why would start now?" He said with a smirk.

She poked him hard in the chest. "Shut up. But really, our relationship has been doomed from the start"

Ari couldn't help but let out a low chuckle. "Now, I believe I told you very early on that it was a bad idea"

Kate rolled her eyes and began to step back, but Ari's arm was suddenly around her waist, and his lips were against hers.

It felt different, but she couldn't figure it out at first. It was different to the many kisses the two had shared over the last few years. It clicked in her head when they pulled away from each other that it was more than likely their last. And she had been concentrating on _what_ it was rather than the kiss itself.

Ari stepped back and gave her a rare smile.

"Goodbye, Caitlin"

_Do not cry, _Kate thought angrily.

She moved to slip the rings on her finger off when Ari suddenly stopped her.

"No" He said quietly. "Keep them"

"Today sucks" She deadpanned angrily, turning around to forcefully throw her empty cup into the trash can.

Ari chuckled at her. "Yes, it does"

"You should go" She said in the voice she used whenever she was interrogating a suspect, crossing her arms over her chest.

Ari nodded and turned without a word. Kate watched after him until she saw the blue motorcycle disappear out of the hospital parking lot.

Her chest hurt. All she wanted to do right at that moment was go home, find some alcohol and drink until she passed out. Which wasn't going to be the best course of action, but it was better than crying.

A hand gently touched her shoulder, making her whip around with a surprised noise flying out of her mouth, only to find Gibbs standing there with a coffee in his hand.

"Oh, sorry Gibbs" She said with a frown.

He stared at her which an expression that told her he had witnessed her whole interaction with Ari.

_Fantastic, _She thought bitterly.

"Well Gibbs, now you can stop being pissed off at me" She snapped. "You should be happy now he's out of _your _life-"

"Kate" He said a little loudly, stopping her before a full-blown rant began. "Go home. Get some sleep. You need it"

Kate stared at her Boss for a few moments, not really sure what to make of that. Although, she was pretty sure that was going to be the closest thing to Gibbs being nice to her about the whole situation. She smiled slightly.

"Ring me if anything happens to Abby" She said.

Gibbs nodded and handed her the keys to his truck. She took them gratefully and began her search for the vehicle.

When she got home she found most of Ari's things gone, except for a few of his clothes which were still waiting to be washed.

She also found a half empty bottle of scotch. It was empty by the morning.

* * *

_**One more chapter. **_

_**Reviews are awesome, you know that. So, be awesome.**_

_**xoxElle**_


	11. How Do You Measure A Year? Part 1

**_I know, I suck for not updating. Life changes and shit got in the way._**

**_So, the epilogue is split in two, because I felt the need to stop it where I did. _**

**_Review!_**

**_xoxElle_**

* * *

_Epilogue ~ Part 1_

In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
How do you measure, measure a year?  
In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee  
In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife  
In five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes  
How do measure a year in the life?

* * *

Kate was surprised at how the things in her life had not changed dramatically in the first past of the last year, since Ari left. Sure, she spent her nights alone in her apartment or visiting Abby and McGee in their new apartment, with their five month old son, Justin.

She was healthy, she went to work, she dealt with DiNozzo moping about missing Ziva and she didn't think about Ari.

Except for just then.

_That doesn't count, _she thought, turning her attention back to her book sitting in her lap, flicking through a few random pages.

After she and Ari had come to their decision, and after Abby had left the hospital Kate had returned to Indiana to spend the rest of her time off from NCIS with her family, who had quizzed her endlessly on Ari until she finally retreated back to Washington two weeks later.

Ziva had been called back to Mossad the day that Kate returned to help Ari with a mission somewhere in eastern Europe. Kate didn't ask anything about it, instead pretending she hadn't heard the conversation the Israeli had with Director Sheppard.

Granted, she still worried about him, whenever they got word that something had happened to a male Mossad Officer over MTAC she knew it could be Ari. But true to her word, Ziva would always call if anything happened.

Although, her life changed two months ago.

The Team was investigating the death of a Gunnery Sergeant, who had died under suspicious circumstances; the suspect list had led them to the higher ranks of the Mob. Tony and Kate had been the ones to interrogate Marco Rossi, Jr., the son of one of the rumoured heads.

That night whilst the Team had been bouncing theories off each other, Fornell had stormed in with two of his own Agents and a man with a jacket with WP on the pocket.

'_They've put a hit on you, Agent Todd' _She remembers him saying. _'We have to put you into Witness Protection until this crap's sorted out'_

Abby hadn't been formally informed, she knows that, but McGee had tried his best at convincing his girlfriend that Kate had just gone back to visit her parents. Abby knew he was lying, but she didn't let him know that. Gibbs had told off Fornell at first, saying that he was more than capable of protecting his own Team, but when one of Fornell's Agents had spoken up and given all the details Gibbs had just given Kate a side-glance.

So, here Kate was, sitting on a bench in the freezing cold, a book in her glove-covered hands as she watched the people of Rome rush into café's and coffee shops before work and the tourists with cameras taking photos of everything in their sight. She was slowly becoming used to the city she had once visited with Ari, although she kept far away from the small chapel that would bring up memories she would rather forget.

So she concentrated on watching people go about their lives, their biggest concerns being if they would have to wait in line at the coffee shop longer that morning then the morning before. She envied them. She missed her friends and family. She hadn't even been contacted by anyone in either the FBI nor the WPP in over six weeks, with their last contact telling her that the hit was still on her head and an undercover FBI Agent had given the mob a lead that lead them to New York for some time.

Kate sighed while putting her book into her light gray bag, putting it over her shoulder as she stood up and began to walk back to her apartment. Minutes later she was walking down the street her temporary apartment resided; it was quiet and full of rental townhouses and tiny two room apartments for people staying in the city for work or those on long-term holidays.

Her three-story apartment building sat in the middle of the street, between a modern townhouse and another set of identical apartments. With her left hand she pushed open the short gate that divided the small path to the front door from the street as she searched for her keys with her right. She lived on the second floor, in the apartment furthest to the back of the building, but closest to the staircase and back exit, which lead out to a back alleyway with a small road.

Kate yawned as she pushed the key into the lock of her door, wishing she had slept more the night before. Ever since she moved in she hadn't had a full night's sleep. A cross between being paranoid and not having a gun beside her bed like she had done for years, even when she was with Ari.

_Dammit Kate_, she thought bitterly.

Kate froze as soon as she stood inside her apartment.

Something was wrong. A pillow from her couch now laid under the coffee table, a cup sitting atop that. Kate always kept her apartment pristine, cleaning kept her mind off things and help relive her boredom. Someone was there.

She internally thanked Gibbs for making her paranoid enough to hide weapons as she pulled a knife from its hidden spot on the underside of a table beside the door. She took slow, deliberate steps, like she had done hundreds of times before as she approached the large archway that divided the living room/kitchen from the bedroom.

She stepped around the corner, knife gripped in her hand raised and ready to attack the person standing in front of her bed. Her hand dropped at a single word.

"_Caitlin"_

* * *

Back in Washington D.C, inside the NCIS headquarters, the Bullpen was swarming with FBI Agents, Witness Protection Agents and NCIS Agents. Thirty minutes beforehand it had been like any normal day; Tony had come in late, McGee had been sitting at his desk tapping away at his keyboard while on the phone to Abby, who was down in her lab with baby Justin and Gibbs had been downstairs getting coffee.

That had all changed when Fornell, accompanied by another FBI Agent and the WP Agent who had accompanied Kate to wherever they had taken her. Gibbs had entered from the opposite side of the Bullpen at the same time, Fornell giving him a look that made him sent his Agents into immediate action, calling the Director and pulling up case information.

Both Marco Rossi Sr. and his son had landed in Rome, the undercover Agent Fornell had undercover had informed his senior Agent that the mobsters had found out where Kate was and were on their way to finish what they had started.

Since the minute Gibbs had ordered it, Tony and McGee had been trying to contact the small NCIS headquarters in Rome, while Fornell's Agents had been trying to contact their own Agents in the foreign city.

"Boss!" Tony shouted over the loud voices around him as he took the steps two at a time to where Gibbs was standing outside MTAC with Director Sheppard, the two arguing with the Director of Witness Protection. "Agent's just got to Kate's place. They found some of her stuff missing. Her door was still open"

"Was there any signs of a struggle?" Director Sheppard asked.

Tony looked down at the paper in his hands where he had scribbled random points of information when he was on the phone. "Door wasn't busted, no blood…but her draws where ransacked"

* * *

"What the hell are you doing here Ari?" Kate snapped, staring at the man before her, who was now beside the chest of draws that held her clothes, pulling a draw open to pull out piles of clothes and throwing them down on the bed.

"Now, that is not a very nice way to greet me, is it?" Ari commented, turning his gaze to her and giving her a smirk.

_This is clearly a dream, _Kate thought as she gave Ari a cold glare. He looked different then the man she once knew. He was clean shaven and his hair had grown out slightly from the buzz cut he had sported when they said their goodbyes a year beforehand. He looked younger, albeit wearing his normal black t-shirt and jeans ensemble.

"You have ten seconds to tell me how the hell you knew where I was" Kate said, stepping up to him and snatching her empty duffle bag he had just picked up out of his hands.

Ari straightened his back and crossed his arms. "You are still quite the infuriating woman, aren't you?" He said, not unkindly before turning serious. "The men who put the hit on you, they are in Rome. They know where you are"

Kate paled, but nodded as she handed the bag back to Ari, who began to stuff random articles of clothing into it as Kate regained some part of her still-processing brain.

"How did you even know, Ari?" She asked, taking the bag from his outstretched hand and throwing it over her shoulder.

"Your friend Abby called Ziva forty-five minutes ago informing her what was happening. I have been on a mission outside the city for just over a week"

Kate had walked away from him mid-sentence, making her way into the living room/kitchen area to pull out the weapons she had hidden. She reached for the first one, which was hidden under a couch cushion but she came out empty handed.

Ari stepped up behind her, his front barely an inch away from her back as he reached around to hold the knife in front of her.

"You do not hide weapons very well" He commented as she looked over her shoulder at him. "I found them all quite quickly"

Kate rolled her eyes and stepped out of the enclosed space that Ari had created, the feeling of dread filling the pit of her stomach as more time passed. It was less than sixty seconds before the two were out of the apartment, leaving most of Kate's things behind in their wake.

* * *

Abby didn't know what to do with herself as she paced angrily around her lab, glancing over every few seconds to check that Justin was still happily sleeping in his baby carrier that sat on top of the steel table behind her.

Her iPhone rang loudly from its place beside her office phone and she grabbed it quickly, not because it would wake her finally asleep son (He could sleep through anything), but more the fact she hoped McGee was giving her good news.

She looked at the number that came up across the top of her screen; it wasn't an American number, it was Italian.

_Ohmygod._

"Hello?" Abby said quickly.

"_Abby...It's me"_

"Oh my god Kate, are you okay? NCIS has gone crazy, there are Agent's everywhere trying to locate you!"

There was a pause, and Abby swore she heard another voice in the background.

"_I'm fine Abby, but I need you not to tell the others where I am and to not trace this number" _

Abby bit her lip. Something in her friend's tone suggested otherwise. "You're not coming back...are you?"

"_Ari's with me Abs, please give Justin a kiss from me. I promise I'll come back as soon as I can"_

"Ka-"

The phone line went dead before she could say anything else, making the Forensic Scientist hold her breath to try and compose herself before picking Justin up and making her way as quickly as possible upstairs.

* * *

He had left a black motorcycle in the alleyway behind her apartment building, hidden behind a dumpster so it was out of site from the main street. Ari went to mount the bike, but Kate's hand on his arm stopped him.

"This is crazy" She stated.

Ari nodded once. "I suppose, but we must leave now and I will take you to the American Embassy"

Kate shook her head with her eyebrows knitting together. "You don't know these guys Ari, they'll make sure to have someone at all the places an American Agent would go if compromised. You can't risk that"

Ari gave her a sceptical look. "I am a Mossad Officer, Caitlin. Contrary to what you assume, I do know what I am doing"

Kate resisted the urge to punch him in the arm. "Listen to m-"

She was cut off by the sound of a gunshot, and in the haze of her confusing she vaguely remembered getting on the bike behind Ari and him tearing out of the alleyway. They weren't wearing helmets, and that was a fact that seemed to bother her more than the firing of the gun behind her.

She gripped Ari's torso and leaned up slightly so her mouth was near his ear. "My bad guys or yours?" she asked with a smile. She felt his torso shake as he laughed.

"I believe they are yours" He yelled back to her so she would hear him over the noise of wind and street.

_This is insane, _Kate thought as she gripped Ari tighter, pressing her forehead against his shoulder so she wasn't getting assaulted by the wind.

She wasn't sure what was going to happen; but she was sure it was not going to end well.

* * *

"She said she wasn't coming back?" Tony asked again. "Are you sure that she wasn't, you know, forced to say all that?"

Abby crossed her arms, looking at the plasma in the Bullpen as the number from her cell phone flashed on the screen as it began to try and locate where the call had come from.

"I don't know, Tony" She frowned. "I heard a voice in the background"

"Could you be more specific?" Constant-angry-FBI Agent, as Abby had named him, called over to her from his computer set up at the far end of the Bullpen.

Abby glared at him before looking at McGee, who sat at his desk with Justin bouncing on his lap. "I think it was Ari" She said unsurely. "I called Ziva an hour ago. She could've told Ari what was going on..."

"Ziva?" Tony perked up, dropping the pen that he had been twisting through his fingers onto his desk. "How is she?"

"Not the time to be thinking about your penis, DiNozzo" Gibbs said gruffly from his desk, Fornell smirking slightly from where he was leaning against the filing cabinets behind his friend's desk.

"Sorry, Boss"

Abby and McGee glanced at each other with a roll of their eyes before Abby turned back to face Fornell and Gibbs.

"Ziva said that Ari was in the middle of a mission outside Rome. So if she got in contact with him there's a chance he's with her"

"Wait" Fornell said with a raise of his hand. "Ari Haswari? The Mossad Officer?"

"Ari's probably behind it" Gibbs snapped.

Justin let out a screaming sob from McGee's lap, which was the result of one of the Witness Protection agents trying to play him with his keys. Abby sent the Agent a glare, at which time he scurried away to the cluster of WP Agents were laughing at him.

There was a loud ding that rang through the Bullpen, when the group of Agents looked at the flat screen a map of Rome popped up with a large red circle that began to move down backstreets heading out of the main city area.

As Agents scattered, reaching for their phones and typing furiously on their laptops Gibbs made his way up to the catwalk outside MTAC to Director Sheppard. Fornell went to McGee's desk and looked down at the Probationary Agent.

"What does Officer Haswari have to do with all this?" He asked. McGee looked a little shocked at the fact Fornell was asking him.

"He's Kate's husband" He said, shifting Justin so that he could use both hands to type on his keyboard. "Abby said they've been married for a few years"

"Boss, they've stopped!" Tony called up to Gibbs.

On the screen the red dot had in fact stopped in a residential area outside the city.

* * *

Ari pulled into a small driveway beside a cottage, pulling the motorcycle into a stop around the back and stepping off with Kate. She brushed her windswept hair out of her face as she surveyed the area.

"This is your safe house?" She asked, looking up at him. Ari crossed his arms and nodded.

"Ziva set it up when she informed me you were in trouble" He said. "We lost the man who was following us in the city, so I believe we are safe for now"

"Is there any way we can get back to Washington?" She asked as he lead her inside with a hand on her lower back.

"Ziva will call when she has arranged transport" He said, shrugging off his jacket and folding it before hanging it over the back of one of the two chairs at a small wooden dining table.

Kate sat on an old couch that was pushed against the side wall and studied Ari as he turned to look at her. He smirked and raised an eyebrow, crossing his arms over his chest.

_Oh, crap._

Ari sat beside her on the couch, so close that their thighs were pressed together. He glanced at her left hand and leaned back against the back of the couch, feet up on the coffee table prompting a roll of her eyes from Kate.

"You are still wearing your ring" He commented.

She raised an eyebrow. "So are you"

Ari glanced down at his left hand and hummed in agreement, watching Kate as she looked at his feet and a funny look wash over her face.

"Would you like me to remove my feet from the coffee table?" He asked, humor laced in his voice.

Kate shook her head and laughed, excusing herself to go to the bathroom in hopes to get away from Ari and his smirk, and his _eyes._

* * *

Fifteen minutes later Kate emerged from the bathroom to find Ari moving around the small kitchen and pouring hot water into two cream coloured cups. She sat herself down on one of the stools that were pressed against the bench that divided the kitchen from the living area and waiting for Ari to finish.

He picked up both cups and turned, placing them both in front of Kate, pushing one more towards her and keeping the other in his hand.

"Thank you" She said taking it, wrapping her hands around it to warm them up. She didn't pick it up to drink it straight away, she just looked down at it for a moment before glancing up at the man still standing behind the bench with a questioning look in his face. She sighed. "Yesterday I spent the whole day reading. Today, I'm on the run. With you."

Ari lifted his mug to his lips, shrugging lightly before taking a sip. "Well" He said, hiding his smirk behind his cup. "I cannot imagine seeing me as a _bad _thing"

Kate felt some of the tension surrounding her leave as she began to laugh. Ari moved around the counter with his cup to sit on the stool beside her, setting the now half-empty cup on the counter beside him.

The noise of a car slamming its breaks filled the tiny cottage, making Ari move from the stool to the opposite side of the room. He stood beside the curtain covered widows and moved the side of the fabric slowly to look out at the suburban street.

Two large men jumped out of a dark red car, guns drawn as they came towards the cottage.

"Caitlin, get to the motorcycle" He said as he noticed his estranged wife already grabbing her backpack and halfway out the back door while shoving a gun into the top of her pants in case she needed it.

Ari sat on the bike first, the noises of a door being kicked down and bullets being fired , and started the engine. He looked at Kate, who was still standing beside the bike with her eyebrows furrowed.

Before Ari got a chance to ask her what she was doing, she grabbed the front of his jacket and pulled him into a kiss, letting go quickly and getting on the back of the bike.

Ari turned and raised his eyebrow.

"Shut up" She snapped, and with that he kicked the bike into action and tore out of the backyard and down the road, the faint sounds of two men yelling angrily after them in Italian.

Kate tightened her hold on Ari, tucking her head into his neck and praying they would make it out safe.

* * *

Abby sat in the ballistics section of her lab, holding Justin against her as she read him a story from the book that laid on the floor in front of them. She didn't read him very many baby books, McGee had insisted that their child be read books such as Harry Potter and The Lord Of The Rings trilogy.

Just as Abby reached the scene in the Chamber, she heard someone clear their throat from the doorway.

"Hiding?" Tony asked as he lowered himself to sit leaning against the wall opposite her. She lifted Justin up, letting him go into Tony's outstretched arms to settle in his 'Uncle Tony's' lap, finding great interest in his tie.

"Just tired" She shrugged. "And if I spent one more second with those first grade minded FBI Agents, I might have stolen McGee's gun to end them all"

Tony grinned down at Justin, making a funny face at the baby and earning a giggle.

"That's it?" He asked without looking up.

Abby teared up and shuffled to be next to Tony, laying her head on his shoulder while his arm wrapped around hers.

"She'll be alright" Tony said. "I mean, Kate'll kick anyone's ass that tries to get in her way"

Abby laughed, wiping a stray tear off her cheek while Justin crawled himself onto her legs.

Suddenly, McGee appeared in the doorway, looking down at the two and letting out an awkward. "Am I interrupting something?"

* * *

When everything was over, she was going to _kill _Ari.

Sure, Kate had been on a motorcycle with him many times before, but this was just insane. Ari was going well above any speed limit she had ever experienced, and he was turning corners so sharply that they were getting uncomfortably close to being horizontal to the pavement.

She could hear the car speeding up behind them, the sudden noise of guns firing once again reaching their ears. Ari yelled something to her, but the combined wind noise and concentrating of leaning on the bike when Ari leant meant that she didn't hear him.

There was a _woosh _noise that past Kate's ear and then the world began to move in slow motion.

She felt pain. A sudden jolt.

And then everything went black.

* * *

**_Epilogue Part 2 coming soon._**


End file.
